COLIN MELBOURNESculptor Colin Melbourne, who created the statue of Sir Stanley Matthews in Hanley and the Steelman outside the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, died at the age of 80 on 5 August, 2009.Originally trained as a modeller at Burslem School of Art, Mr Melbourne went on to become the Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design at North Staffordshire Polytechnic, and an influential figure in art education nationally.Driven by the belief that art had a role to play in ordinary people's lives, he showed through his own work how art could be relevant and make a difference in the real world.Professor Flavia Swann, who worked under Mr Melbourne at North Staffordshire Polytechnic in the 1970s, said: "A lot of people at the polytechnic were from an engineering background and thought that art was a waste of time, that it didn't get people jobs. But Colin was very good at explaining the contribution art and design could make to society."That contribution is probably best exemplified by the Fighting Steelman statue, which Mr Melbourne designed in 1974 to support the failed campaign to save the Shelton Bar steelworks from closure.Ted Smith, chairman of the Shelton Bar Action Committee, reportedly told him that it wanted "summat that looks like summat, and we dunna want a nude bloke".Prof Swann, aged 65, of Foxglove Lane, Clayton, added: "Colin produced miniature versions of the statue, and they were so popular that other unions asked him to produce some for them as well."In 1987, his statue of Sir Stanley Matthews was unveiled by the Wizard of Dribble himself in Parliament Row, Hanley.Other famous North Staffordshire figures immortalised by Mr Melbourne include Sir Henry Doulton and James Brindley.Born in Hatrell Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1928, he studied at Burslem School of Art before gaining employment as an assistant modeller at Wedgwood.He then won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art and after graduating worked with Wade, Beswick and the Marquess of Queensbury.In the 1960s he became a teacher at Stoke-on-Trent College of Art, and after it became part of North Staffordshire Polytechnic he was made head of the Faculty of Art and Design.He also became a member of the committee for art and design at the Council for National Academic Awards, which accredited degree courses around the country.Jim Rushton, who studied with Mr Melbourne at Burslem School of Art and went on to teach with him at the polytechnic, said: "He was a very gifted man, and he did get into arguments as he had very strong views on most things. But his redeeming feature was his sense of humour. He was always laughing."Mr Melbourne retired from the polytechnic in 1980 due to health problems, but a few years later he was back teaching at the Sir Henry Doulton School of Sculpture in Longton, which he helped found.The school helped launch the careers of a number of successful artists, such as David Goode and Denise Dutton.In his latter years, he devoted most of his time to painting, and his work was shown around North Staffordshire.Mr Melbourne is understood to have died of natural causes at his home in Clayton, where he lived with wife Marcia.They did not have any children, and his only known blood relative left in the area is his cousin Brenda Ford.The 72-year-old, of Appleton Drive, Whitmore, said: "Colin was a really kind man, and he was great with young people. I've just read a nice letter from one of his former pupils. He always had time for everybody as well.
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