THREE war memorials on the Fraser Coast have been given some much-needed tender loving care.
The Maryborough Cenotaph and Queens Park Memorial Gates, cenotaphs at Tiaro and Brooweena and the Brooweena Memorial Bridge have all been repaired and restored.
The restoration project was jointly funded by the State Government, through its Queensland Veterans’ Memorial Grants Program, and the Fraser Coast Regional Council.
NOW READ: Maryborough scoops two prizes at Aussie street art awards
Mayor George Seymour said the restoration works would ensure the memorials continued to remind people of the sacrifices people made for our freedoms.
“The cenotaphs, gates and bridge are befitting memorials to men and women of Australia’s armed forces who fought and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms,” Cr Seymour said.
ALSO READ: Emotional tributes shared at Maryborough mural launch
The works included cleaning, replacing missing letters on inscriptions and corroded fittings and correcting spelling errors.
The artillery piece at Tiaro had rust patches treated and repainted, a damaged tyre was replaced and damaged pavers around the mosaic relayed.
At Brooweena, the marble sculpture had its broken arms and rifle reattached. Pillars on the bridge were recoated.
Graffiti on the Maryborough Cenotaph was removed and ironwork on the gates repaired.
The Maryborough Cenotaph in Sussex Street was erected in 1922 with funds gained by public subscription as a memorial to the district’s servicemen killed in World War I.
The memorial includes five Italian Carrara marble statues that portray the army, navy, air force and nursing profession. Nike, the Winged Figure of Victory, stands above them.
Additional plaques were later added to honour local servicemen and women in World War II, the Korean War, and the Malaysian conflict.
The two iron double gates, with lettering 1914 and 1918, stand between two large sandstone posts at the entrance to Queens Park.
At Brooweena, a marble statue of a lone soldier stands with head bowed and arms reversed on a sandstone base to honour the local people who served in the first and second world wars.
The Brooweena War Memorial Bridge was the only bridge erected privately in Queensland as a World War I memorial.
It features white painted sandstone pillars on stepped bases. On each pillar are marble plaques that bear the names of local people who served their country.
The Tiaro War Memorial features a lone soldier statue and honours those who served and others who died in World Wars I and II and the Boer War.