Gunnedah Vietnam Veterans Murals
Description
The memorial consists of two large murals painted on the outside of the old water tower, which houses the Gunnedah Water Tower Museum. Both murals are tributes to Vietnam veterans and depict different scenes from the war. The north face of the tower features Australian soldiers standing to attention at the Long Tan Cross. A variation on the inscription originally attached to the cross is also included in the painting. The south face shows soldiers waiting to board Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopters, nicknamed Hueys.
The memorial was created by Jenny McCracken, internationally acclaimed Australian silo artist. The Namoi Valley Independent reported on the progress of the work on 18 April 2019, stating McCracken "used an image from the war etched in granite on the Vietnam War Memorial in Canberra as her inspiration. This features the iconic Huey helicopters and group of soldiers waiting on the ground." The murals were launched shortly after on Anzac Day, 25 April.
Funding for the project was sourced by the Gunnedah and District Historical Society, through a grant from the Federal Government's Drought Communities Programme.
Inscription
North face - upper, Long Tan Cross
In memory of those
members of D Coy and
[illeg.] APC Sqn who gave
their lives near this
spot during the Battle
of Long Tan on August
North face - lower
Jenny McCracken artist
25 April 2019
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Address
Water Tower Museum
Anzac Park, South Street
Gunnedah NSW 2380
AustraliaLocal Government Area
- Gunnedah Shire
Setting
- Building – outside
Location status
Original locationMemorial type
- Statue/sculpture/artwork
Recorded by
Graham WilsonYear of construction
April 2019Established Date format:
$e_original_date = $entity->field_established['und'][0]['value'];
if (!empty($e_original_date)) {
$changed_date = strtotime($e_original_date);
$new_date = date("d F Y", $changed_date);
print 'Established date
';
print $new_date;
}
else{
print '';
}Dedication date
25 April 2019 Conflict/s
- Vietnam War, 1962–75