Restoration of Camperdown war memorial
Friday 25 August 2017
Inner West Council will restore the WWI memorial in Camperdown Park in time for ANZAC Day 2018.
The $36,000 restoration is part-funded by a NSW Community War Memorials Fund grant of $10,000.
As well as restoring the memorial, Council will upgrade seating and picnic areas in the park as part of the continued implementation of the Camperdown Park Masterplan. The $600,000 upgrades are funded by Stronger Communities Fund grants.
The WWI memorial was installed at Camperdown Park in 1921. It comprises a marble statue of a Digger holding a rifle on a sandstone plinth base. The names of local soldiers who died through service during WWI are inscribed in gold gild on the base. The further inscription on the Memorial reads:
In memory of the men who enlisted locally and fell in the Great War 1914-1919. Having faithfully served their King and Country.
The memorial is surrounded by a garden of rosemary for remembrance and a white picket fence.
On Remembrance Day 2014, a cutting from the original Gallipoli Lone Pine was planted adjacent to the memorial.
The extensive work on the memorial will include:
- Modelling and replacement of the soldier's missing hand, gun, fingers and scabbard
- Restoration and replacement of the Digger's legs and tree stump element
- Specialist cleaning of the memorial stonework and marble statue
- Re-gilding of all inscriptions (four sides of the plinth) using 24k gold leaf
- Repairs to the stone and marble corners
- Repointing of the joints
“Camperdown Park is looking magnificent after the recent $3 million upgrade, and is now more popular than ever,” Administrator of Inner West Council Richard Pearson said.
“Council understands the importance of this memorial. It is significant for many reasons: as a place for remembrance, as a piece of local history, and as an example of local public art and culture.
“We are determined to restore the memorial with the respect it deserves,” Mr Pearson said.