Country town of Maitland, NSW erupts as artist Osvaldo Budet labels statue of African-American boy on main street for 150 years as racist - with the local council staging a dramatic vote

By CANDACE SUTTON, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 00:30, 8 August 2026 | Updated: 00:30, 8 August 2026 A statue of a 'little black boy' which has been on the main street of an Australian country town for 150 years is at the centre of a furious row over an art installation's claims it is racist.  The statue, colloquially known as Jocko, is an 84cm-tall cast iron depiction of an African-American boy that has sat on Maitland High Street in the NSW Hunter Valley since the 1870s.  Jocko is believed to be based on similar sculptures found throughout the USA after the country's first president, George Washington, was inspired by the heroism of young boy with the same name.  The Maitland statue is thought to have been used as a marketing gimmick for a 19th century tobacconist's shop and a hitching post for horses, and over the years was used as a symbol of Maitland, even gracing the cover of a local phone book.  But controversy over the statue has bubbled up after the local Maitland Regional Art Gallery opened a four-month exhibition on July 11 with a piece that sought to explain the 'racist history of the hitching post statue'.  The display, by Puerto Rican-born artist Osvaldo Budet, featured tea towels, spoons and images of the statue - souvenirs from the town - to explain the 'racist history of the hitching post'.  The museum said his display was 'informed by (Budet's) experience growing up in Borikén (the Indigenous word for Puerto Rico) ... fighting colonialism, racism, patriarchy and imperialism through my art'.  Budet, an Australian citizen who lived in Maitland for five years, said he had 'never called for the figure to be removed ... rather it seeks to reveal its true history and open up a conversation about racism, public memory, censorship, and artistic freedom'. The statue known locally as 'Jocko' has been on Maitland's High Street for 150 years and has several stories to its origin. It has now become the focus of raging debate over if it is 'racist' Puerto Rican-born artist Osvaldo Budet (above) sought to use the display to explain the'racist history of the hitching post statue' The display sparked such a firestorm that the local Maitland Council erected a sign next to the display saying that it may cause offence The display sparked outrage on social media - with some comments saying, 'Keep your hands off our boy' and 'We love him', while one local councillor suggested the statue should be thrown in the local river. The matter of keeping the statue or not was taken to a local council vote - with councillors voting 9-4 to keep it, and only Labor councillors against it - which has failed to silence dissent over the statue.  'Jocko stays,' said Mayor Philip Penfold. 'The "Little Black Boy" has been part of our city’s story ... during Queen Victoria’s reign, before Federation, through both World Wars and throughout the terms of every one of Australia’s 31 Prime Ministers. 'He has appeared on badges, teaspoons, postcards, phone books and Maitland Mutual money boxes, with a replica still proudly displayed at their Maitland branch today. 'For generations, he has been embraced by children, dressed in sporting colours, photographed by families, as a beloved part of Maitland’s identity.' The council motion instead resulted in its expressing its 'high level of disapproval to exhibit a display disparaging the Jocko Graves hitching post'. A sign was erected next to the display acknowledging that it may cause offence to 'members of the Maitland community who have long valued and admired the Hitching Post statue' 'While council recognises and shares those views, council respects freedom of expression and the artist's right to present this exhibition on this occasion.' Osvaldo Budet's display featured tea-towels, spoons and images of the 'Maitland Black Boy Hitching Post'. The statue was, for a time, seen as a symbol of the town  The statue was originally used as a promotion outside former Maitland tobacco shop, AD McDonald, but has provenance in a George Washington story  In a lengthy statement Budet said he was not calling for the statue to be removed.  'Let me be clear, I have not asked for the statue to be removed. The mayor's statement... turns my exhibition into a removal debate I did not initiate.  'My work asked for truthtelling, evidence and accountability.' Budet argued the statue 'depicts a black child fixed in a posture of service'. He said his work 'asks why a racist public object has been protected through nostalgia, myth and service. Budet said council placing a sign saying council respects freedom of expression 'on this occasion' should concern everyone.  'Freedom of expression is not a favour granted by council,' he added. The saga has shone a light on the purported history of the actual statue which, according to the Maitland and District Historical Society, originates in George Washington's campaign during the American War of Independence. Maitland Mayor Philip Penfold has stated there is 'strong community sentiment in support of Jocko' On its Maitland Stories website, the society writes that Washington - later the first US president - had to leave his horses mid-battle to cross a river and did so with Jocko Graves, the 12-year-old son of one of his free African-American soldiers. When the men returned, Jocko had frozen overnight, but the story of his sacrifice and heroism inspired Washington to victory and as president, he ordered a sculpture of the boy to be erected at his Virginia estate. Similar statues were installed around the United States, and according to legend, indicate safe houses for slaves to hide in.  One statue found its way to Maitland, NSW, and in the 19th century 'Jocko' served as a hitching post for horses.   The current debate includes online posts that the George Washington story is invented or at least not the real origin of Maitland's Jocko Graves, which 'came to Australia as a sales gimmick for a tobacconist'. A councillor told the ABC in 2023 that the statue - which often features in the selfies of visitors - was originally used as a promotion outside former Maitland Tobacco shop, AD McDonald, but the Washington story had real provenance. Councillors over the years have called for Jocko to be made a heritage item, and with Mayor Penfold's support it was added to the city's heritage list in March after an independent heritage assessment. 'I have deliberately avoided making public comment in recent days so as to limit division within our community,' he wrote on Facebook. 'I did not start this debate. I have only responded as I believe it is important to make clear that the exhibition in our ratepayer-funded gallery does not reflect the strong community sentiment in support of Jocko. 'Tuesday’s council vote confirmed that position. Only the Maitland Labor councillors expressed opposition to Jocko remaining.' Asked by the Mail about the artist Budet's contention that the statue was racist, the mayor told the Mail: 'I’m standing up for Maitland’s heritage retention, and history.  'I am surprised to see an artist advocating for the removal of public artwork, and I standby my community’s strong wish to retain this treasured member of our community who has been there with us though floods, droughts, depressions, and pandemics for over 150 years.' In response to the idea that Jocko be thrown into the Hunter River, councillor Bill Hackney, commented that the alderman who had suggested that 'originated from Tamworth, so I wonder if he would mind that I throw the Golden Guitar into the Peel River'. The Golden Guitar is Tamworth's iconic, 12m-tall statue in the NSW Northern Tablelands' Country Music Festival host town.   Mayor Penfold said he had spoken with many locals and that 'there appears to be no effort made to understand how many generations of Maitlanders feel about this beloved figure, nor what it has represented to them. 'Many have expressed disappointment at being told by an out-of-towner, what Maitland’s local history should mean to them. 'To be clear, I did not seek to remove the exhibition, seek to censor it, seek to remove any element of it, nor silence artistic expression.  'I simply made it clear that the views expressed in the exhibition are not the views of council nor our community.'