John La Gerche operated a sawmill and then became the Crown Lands bailiff in 1882, protecting the recuperating forests around Creswick.

Creswick and District Historical Society’s Jack van Beveren said La Gerche was one of the most important figures in the area’s renewal after mining cleared much of the greenery around the town.

“We wouldn’t have these beautiful plantations around the place (if not for him), in that he was the original one that started to rejuvenate the ground after all the mining went through,” he said.

“It was just like a moonscape.”

La Gerche already has a walking track named after him, and this sculpture will be unveiled on it on Saturday.

The tree being used for his likeness is a 112-yearold sequoia that had been planted in one of La Gerche’s programs.

The tree, reaching almost 50 metres, had been killed by white ants. Some of it will also be used in the Creswick Library.

Hepburn councillor Don Henderson said La Gerche was a great figure for Creswick.

“He was a fascinating fellow, being a saw-miller when he came here and then becoming like a ranger,” he said.

“He also protected the forest – from here to Ballarat – from illegal logging, where people would knock down trees for the mines.

“(La Gerche) had to catch them in the act, otherwise the magistrate wouldn’t charge them.”

The project has been led by the Creswick Railway Workshops Association, and contributions have been made by other groups and businesses in Creswick.

Mr Bast, who is world-renowned for his carvings, said it was a pleasure to work with the redwood, which was one of several planted by Mr La Gerche around Creswick as an experiment.