Atlas Obscura · People & society

Sydney's "Silent Volunteer": A Bronze Boar's Philanthropic Role

A bronze wild boar statue, a replica of Florence's "Il Porcellino," serves a unique philanthropic purpose at Sydney Hospital.

Donated in 1968 by Marchesa Clarissa Fiaschi Torrigiani, the statue honors her father and brother, both prominent surgeons and military medical heroes at Sydney Hospital. Her father, Dr. Thomas Fiaschi, was instrumental in introducing new surgical techniques to Australia.

The statue is positioned at the hospital's entrance, where a tradition has emerged: people rub the boar's snout for luck and drop coins into the basin. This ritual has been ongoing for over fifty years.

Unlike its Florentine counterpart, the coins collected from Sydney's "Il Porcellino" are not merely ornamental. They are regularly gathered and donated to the Sydney Hospital Foundation.

These funds are used to support the purchase of medical equipment and finance research initiatives, effectively making the statue a continuous, unsalaried contributor to public health.

Hospital staff have affectionately named the statue "The Silent Volunteer" due to its consistent ability to generate micro-donations for the hospital's needs.

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