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Former Wolli Creek Tram Depot War Memorial, Sans Souci

Former Wolli Creek Tram Depot War Memorial, Sans Souci
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Former Wolli Creek Tram Depot War Memorial in Pemberton Reserve, front view
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Former Wolli Creek Tram Depot War Memorial in Pemberton Reserve, back view
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Former Wolli Creek Tram Depot War Memorial, close-up of statue on pedestal
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Archival image: Unveiling of original Wolli Creek Tram Depot War Memorial with solider on top, 24 August 1919.
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Archival image. Painted soldier statue, c1970.
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Description / Background

This war memorial is a marble statue of an Australian soldier, with reversed arms, positioned atop a pedestal. The front of the pedestal is faced in sandstone and features a decorative plaque with a laurel wreath surrounding an eternal flame. The words 'For the fallen' are inscribed in the stone below the plaque. The memorial is surrounded by concrete paving, which is bordered by a series of lights joined by chains, creating a fence. 

The figure was originally dedicated on 24 August 1919 at the Wolli Creek Tram Depot in Tempe, NSW. The unveiling ceremony is pictured in image 4 above. The photo shows the soldier statue originally stood on an impressive domed monument within the depot's grounds. 

In 1970, the figure was given to the Kyeemagh RSL and subsequently placed adjacent to the Kyeemagh RSL Club. The figure was painted to cover damage inflicted by vandals, as shown in image 5 above. Following the 2018 closure of the Kyeemagh RSL Club, the Ramsgate RSL sub-Branch became the memorial's custodian.

In 2002, a grant from the Australian Government Department of Veterans' Affairs funded a restoration project, which involved mounting the statue on the pedestal. The paint was also removed from the statue to reveal its original appearance. 

In 2020, the memorial was relocated to Pemberton Reserve in Sans Souci, NSW, adjacent to the Ramsgate RSL Club.

Inscription

Pedestal

Lest We Forget

For the fallen

Original

D.R.T.& T Chief Engineers Branch

This monument was erected by the staff as a tribute to the honour and memory of their comrades who fought and died in the Great War 1914–1919.

Unveiled and dedicated August 24, 1919 by Brig. Gen. C.I. Cox C.B., V.D., C.M.G., D.S.O.

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Address
Pemberton Reserve
50 Park Road
Sans Souci NSW 2219
Local Government Area
Bayside Council
Setting
Building – outside
Location status
Moved/altered
Memorial type
Statue/sculpture/artwork
Recorded by
K.S. Clarke JP, President of Kyeemagh RSL sub-Branch. Kirsten Broderick, Bayside Council.
Year of construction
1919
Dedication date
24 August 1919
Conflict/s
First World War, 1914–18
Materials
Marble
Sandstone