Irish Postal Service An Post has issued a new stamp marking the 50th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House in honor of the Irish engineer who brought the iconic building to life.
The stamp was unveiled at the iconic Sydney Opera House by Consul General of Ireland Sydney, Rosie Keane, and Kieran Rice, son of the late Irish structural engineer Peter Rice who made the building's iconic "white sails" roof possible.
Isabella Rice and Kerryn Coker, Co-Chair of Arup Australasia, the original design company behind the iconic building, also attended Thursday's launch.
Peter Rice, who died in 1992 at the age of 57, played an integral role in the building of the Sydney Opera House 50 years ago, using mathematical expertise and artistic intuition to convert concrete, steel, and glass into the world-renowned building.
Speaking on Thursday, his son Kieran said the family was "touched" by the commemorative stamp honoring Peter's achievement.
"We, Peter Rice’s family, are all really touched that his contribution to the Sydney Opera House design is being recognized with this wonderful First Day Cover of the commemorative stamp on the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Sydney Opera House," Kieran Rice said.
"The stamp is a lovely artwork in itself and Peter’s quote on the FDC is very well-chosen and is often used in our family to motivate his grandchildren.
"Peter was very proud of his involvement with the Sydney Opera House design and construction especially his work on programming the setting out of the sails. He would have been humbled to be recognized in this way in his native Ireland.
A proud native of County Louth, Peter moved to Australia in 1963 with his wife Sylvia and their two young daughters Julia and Heidi. Their son Kieran was born in Australia and Sylvia still regularly visits friends there every year.
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