Alick Wickham

Alick Wickham has inspired the naming of this site with an amazing feat he achieved in 1918.

Alick completed a world record dive in 1918 in front of 70,000 people. The site is situated in Fairfield, Melbourne, Australia about 10 minuted walk from my studio.

For years I had passed the site and noticed people gazing across the river at the huge rock face opposite. I also experienced a peaceful feeling whenever I sat on the bench and looked across at the rock.

Around April last year [2004] I was drawn to the spot very early one morning and found a plaque that described Alick's feat. It was covered in grease and dirt and until this day I had never known of it's existence.

Once I read the information I realised where the feeling of peace was coming from. When Alick stood 63 metres above the river he would have faced the very real fear of material death. I believe that once he survived the dive he would have conquered this fear of death.

It is this absense of fear that I believe frees us all up to see the beauty in our world. To truly want to live.

Alick would I believe have been so free after this dive and that his feeling of peace is still felt at this spot today.

With his Leap he truly found a faith in himself and in the beauty of the world.