Did you know an Estonian helped officially open the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932?
The NSW Premier Jack Lang cut the ribbon with a pair of gold scissors made by Vambola van Veinberg who was born in Tallinn in 1914. He designed the scissors when he was just sixteen years old. Vambola had a long and distinguished career as a designer of coins and medals. Vambola’s design is distinctly Australian, being hand-wrought from Australian gold and containing six flame-coloured opals, quarried from Lightning Ridge. Decorated with flannel flowers, waratahs and gum leaves set around a model of the bridge. Les Denham embossed them and Norm Neal engraved them in Angus & Coote’s workroom.
