War Memorials in Australia

Yandina Cenotaph

Place: Yandina, Queensland, 4561
District: Southeast Coast
Orientation: 31 km SW of Tewantin
Location: Railway Street and Stevens Street, besides railway station
Position: 26 33 S   152 57 E
Ref: 40259

__________________________

The memorial is an obelisk of Helidon sandstone on a granite base, topped with a sandstone shroud. Crossed Enfield .303 rifles carved out of sandstone are mounted above the main 1914-1918 face. The lettering is composed of beaten lead on marble tablets. The memorial stands in a slight depression in the southwest corner of a municipal park. It was surrounded by a steel rope and concrete fence some years ago, but this was dismantled by the local council and has not been replaced. A flag pole with internal halyards stands to the east of the Cenotaph beside the circular path.  The flag pole was presented by the Lions Club of Yandina in 1986.

The monument was built by A Petrie & Son of Brisbane, Qld, using funds collected by public donation from the citizens of Yandina and district. The land on which the Cenotaph stands was dedicated by Rev J Moorhouse on April 25 1924 and the memorial was unveiled and dedicated on June 7, 1924 by Major-General Sir William Glasgow KCB, CMG, DSO, VD. The prayer of dedication was offered by Rev Wright. Chairman of the local committee which raised the funds to build the memorial was Mr. W Slatter, head teacher of Yandina State School from 1899 to 1937.

The Cenotaph was hit by a runaway truck some 12 years ago and the resulting cracks were still visible. When the Cenotaph was repaired after the accident it was re-assembled incorrectly and the main face pointed in the wrong direction until the recently-completed refurbishment, when the alignment was corrected so that the main face commemorating those who fell in World War 1 faces along Railway Street as it did originally.

The disturbance to the structure raised concerns about its safety and in 2001 the local RSL sub-branch applied for a DVA grant to replace the Cenotaph, but at community consultation meetings the people of Yandina and surrounding district made it abundantly clear that they did not want a new memorial, as ties to the old one are still very strong. As a result of these meetings a restoration committee was formed. At its request, Maroochy Shire Council conducted stress tests to establish the structure's stability and it was found to be safe. As a result, the grant money was re-directed to refurbish the Cenotaph. The top half was removed and internal steel rods were inserted to reinforce the sandstone. The top was then replaced and the whole structure steam-cleaned. However, 80 years of grime from standing on a busy intersection had become so ingrained (despite repeated cleaning attempts over the years) that it could not be removed, so the Cenotaph was painted to match its original sandstone colour. The marble tablets and lead lettering were cleaned as well as possible, but cracks and aging cannot be reversed, so the marble has been coated to protect it from further weathering, but otherwise left as is.

The barrel of one rifle had been broken off many years ago and a new one has been carved from sandstone, refitted and painted to match the rest of the memorial as part of the refurbishment. The concrete path which circled the memorial has been extended and re-paved with Mary River aggregate to improve its appearance and broad paths now lead up to the north and south faces. The small garden beds are planted with rosemary.
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 North face
Crossed rifles

Marble plaque on section below
IN MEMORY
OF
THE MEN OF YANDINA AND DISTRICT
WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES
SERVING THEIR KING AND COUNTRY
DURING THE GREAT WAR
1914 - 1919
_______  _______

"Their name liveth for evermore."

West face
Marble plaque

Bronze plaque on section below
YANDINA
HERITAGE TRAIL

The Yandina & District
War Memorial was unveiled
in 1924 by Senator, Major General
Sir William Glasgow to
honour our fallen.
Lest we forget..
No. 3

East face
Marble plaque
IN MEMORY
OF
MEN WHO FELL IN WORLD WAR II
1939 - 1945.

South face
Marble plaque

Other image(s) - Click for larger view

      
            Top removed for insertion         Senior member of RSL     
                of reinforcing rods                 Yandina Sub-Branch    
                                                                Mr Ron McCord
                                                                Remembrance Day 2004

Information current to December 2004

Sources:   Most of the information and the photographs on this page have been kindly provided by Yandina R.S.L. Sub-Branch
                   Additional information from Shirley & Trevor McIvor pers. corr.
 

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