A bust of David Helfgott

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The photo shows a bust of David Helfgott. The sculpture is in the dining area of the Mundaring Hotel in Western Australia where David would often regale diners with his incredible piano-playing. I don’t know how well known Helfgott is in countries other than Australia but he showed a lot of promise as a youngster winning the state (West Australian) final of the ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition. Incidentally, Vince’s sister won the same competition the following year. On going to London for further study, he began to show symptoms of schizophrenia. The 1996 film, Shine, was based on his formative years and struggle with mental illness. Geoffrey Rush portrayed the adult Helfgott and won an Academy Award for Best Actor. Helfgott also play piano in the Silverchair song ‘Emotion Sickness’. Years later, he was diagnosed with autism rather than schizophrenia.