Barry is a dinkum Kiwi bloke, but a bit of a New Age man too. Sculptor Paterson used his friend Barry Menzies as model, then commandeered his clothes, shoes and cap to outfit the friendly fellow on the park bench. Barry’s relaxed pose encourages everyone to make friends with him and climb over him so Donald was determined that Barry should be strong enough to withstand both people and weather.

Donald sought advice from the properties department of the TV series ‘Hercules’ and formed the torso over a steel frame anchored to the bench. The frame was laced with wire and further strengthened by a new type of expanding wood product. The body was made of fibreglass, built up painstaking layer by layer. Barry, an electroplater by trade, applied the unique glowing copper finish to his look-alike’s face and hands. Then the statue was dressed and his clothes saturated with resin.

In 2006, Barry got a mate when Barry Menzies donated a sculpture of “Jack”, the dog and his toy ball as a tribute to Colin and June Carlton