During the eight-day festival, an appeal will launched to have a bronze sculpture of Paterson, one-and-a-half times bigger than life-size, made and erected. 

While Orange claims to be the birth-place of the war-correspondent, soldier and story teller, Andrew Barton Paterson also spent his childhood years in Yeoval, where he lived on his father’s property Buckinbah until the age of seven.

Due to its connection, the village will host one of the festival’s signature events on Saturday, February 16, an Open Day and Poets Brunch at the Banjo Paterson… more than a Poet Museum, where the sculpture appeal will be launched.

The sculpture will portray Paterson aged 54 in his World War I army uniform, when he commanded the Allied Troops Remount Station in Egypt, and it will use the detailed facial features as drawn by Paterson’s close friend and WWI Australian war artist George Lambert.

Melbourne-based sculptor Paul Smits was selected to undertake the work and travellers along the Olympic Way towards Albury can see examples of his work at Henty and Albury.

The sculpture would take pride of place at the front of the museum on land donated to Cabonne Council by the Mulga Bill Festival Committee.

Entry to the Yeoval museum will be free for the day and the event will include poetry readings and recitals, musical items and lunch from Clancy’s Café.

In 2017 the Banjo Paterson hat commissioned by Chris Gryllis, and used as a real estate marketing tool, was removed from Orange and loaned to the Yeoval museum.