Major General Macquarie was the Governor of New South Wales (read, eastern Australia), from 1810 to 1821. (As 'New Holland' was designated the western half of Australia, until 1826, when the 'boundary' was moved further west to approximate the current Western Australian border in 1829.) Obviously this is just the Anglo-Saxon more recent occupation of the 'ancient land' already occupied by hundreds of Aboriginal tribes.
While there is much that could have been done better during the time he governed basically the whole country, he "had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony.
"He is considered by some historians to have had a crucial influence on the transition of New South Wales from a penal colony to a free settlement and therefore to have played a major role in the shaping of Australian society in the early nineteenth century. An inscription on his tomb in Scotland describes him as "The Father of Australia"."
[Excerpt from Monuments Australia: Governor Macquarie
The life-sized bronze statue shows Macquarie extending his right arm out with the right palm facing up, while his left arm is by his side, and his left hand holding a rolled up document. A pair of gloves is shown hanging from the belt around his long-tailed coat; and he is wearing almost knee-high leather boots.
Terrance Plowright was commissioned in 2011 to sculpture a statue to replace one removed in 2009. The Premier of NSW Barry O'Farrell was there for the unveiling, and said of Governor Macquarie: "He not only explored, he not only developed public works, he (sought) to beautify what he said was a fine and opulent town which has become a fine, opulent and global city."
And for the reason of the date of the unveiling: "Her excellency (Governor Marie Bashir) thought the anniversary of Macquarie's birth, the 31st of January, with the 225th anniversary of the founding of the city, was an excellent time."
[Channel Nine News: Governor Macquarie unveiled, 31 January, 2013]
On the pink granite cylindrical base is the following gold-filled inscription:
MAJOR GENERAL
LACHLAN MACQUARIE
GOVERNOR OF NEW SOUTH WALES
1810 - 1821
And then on another side of the base the following:
BORN ULVA 1762
DIED LONDON 1824
MMXII
[Though the Monuments Australia site, and Channel 9 states that the statue was unveiled on 31 January 2013]
Address: Macquarie Street, Hyde Park North, Sydney, 2000, Australia
Visited: 1151, Sunday, 19 January, 2020