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McCarthy Memorial Park

McCarthy Memorial Park
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Description / Background

This memorial park has multiple elements, all located within a beautiful garden setting:

  1. A sandstone wall decorated with bronze sculptures of personnel from the three Australian Military Services and the Australian Women's Services. It also has relief badges for the various Services, the Merchant Navy and the Australia Remembers 1945-1995 badge, together with a stainless steel sculpture of the perpetual flame and the words 'Lest we forget'.
  2. The old City of Fairfield First World War Roll of Honour.
  3. A granite altar with inset stainless steel sword, a cross and the words 'Lest we forget' on the front face.
  4. A flagstaff in front of the altar.
  5. A bronze bowl mounted on a sandstone block with the words 'Lest we forget' attached to the front face.
  6. A bronze sundial mounted on a stone block.
  7. Two trees of different ages from Lone Pine, Gallipoli with associated plaques.
  8. A Second World War field gun and a three-inch mortar (1944).
  9. Numerous plaques attached to the back wall of the park, dedicated  in memory of deceased members and associate members of Smithfield RSL.

The park received a major upgrade in 2008. It is located opposite Smithfield RSL. 

Inscription

Sandstone wall

Lest we forget.

Roll

City of Fairfield Roll of Honour.

[Names]

Granite altar monument

Lest we forget

Bronze bowl monument

Lest we forget

Bronze sundial

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest We Forget. Smithfield RSL Sub Branch. 

Older Lone Pine

This pine is from the Gallipoli slopes taken off the family of the Lone Pine a landmark made famous during the Anzac occupation of Gallipoli. 

Younger Lone Pine

The Lone Pine Pinus halepensis.

Lone Pine of Plateau 400 was the scene of a major diversionary offensive launched by the 1st Australian Infantry Division on 6 August 1915. The Turks had cut down all but one of the trees that clothed the ridge to cover their trenches. The ridge dominated by the single Allepo Pine (Pinus halepensis) became known as Lone Pine. In three days of fighting the Australians lost more than 2000 men and the Turks losses were estimated at 7000. Seven Victoria Crosses were awarded.

Two Australian soldiers Lance Corporal Benjamin Smith of the 3rd Battalion and Sergeant Keith McDowell of the 24th Battalion souvenired pinecones from the ridge that found their way back to Australia. Seedlings were planted by their families, and one was planted by the Duke of Gloucester at the Australian War Memorial in October 1934. Yarralumla Nursery in Canberra propagates a number of trees from seeds collected from the tree at the Australian War Memorial. In 1990 two trees were taken back to Gallipoli with war veterans who attended the memorial service to mark the 75th anniversary of the battle of Lone Pine.

This pine is a descendant of the original Lone Pine.

Dedication plaques

The McCarthy Memorial Park. Opened by E A Barry Esq 11.11.1979 President of the Smithfield Sub-Branch RSL and the Leo McCarthy Memorial Smithfield Sub-Branch RSL Limited.

The McCarthy Memorial Park was officially re-opened 3 September 2008 by Councillor Nick Lalich, Mayor Fairfield City Council “Lest We Forget' Sub-Branch Trustees: DW Newall, KW Cato, KJ Thomson.

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Sidebar
Address
99 Cumberland Highway
Smithfield NSW 2164
Local Government Area
Fairfield, City of
Setting
Garden/park
Memorial type
Board/roll/plaque/tablet
Clock/clock tower/sundial
Flag/flagpole
Garden/park
Memorial avenue/Memorial tree/Memorial trees
Monument
Wall
Recorded by
Mr Ken Thomson (lodged by Fairfield City Library), David Roden and Peter Levarre-Waters.
Year of construction
1979
Dedication date
11 November 1979
Conflict/s
First World War, 1914–18
Second World War, 1939–45
All conflicts