With Anzac Day approaching on April 25, I thought I’d share photos of some of the war memorials that I have spotted in my recent travels through Goulburn and the central west of NSW. Most towns, regardless of size, have a memorial to the lives lost and altered forever by war. The intention behind these monuments was captured at the unveiling of the South Australian National War Memorial on 25 April 1931 by His Excellency, the Governor Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven:
It is not only for ourselves that we have erected this visible remembrance of great deeds, but rather that those who come after us and have not experienced the horrors of war, or realised the wanton destruction and utter futility of it all, may be inspired to devise some better means to settle international disputes other than by international slaughter.
Memorials are often located in parks and public places, including this memorial to the Boer War in Goulburn.
Many memorials have been updated over the years to reflect recent wars and conflicts, including this one in Lithgow.
This memorial is located in Cameron Park, alongside the river in Wellington. At the centre is ‘Winged Victory‘.
The Dubbo War Memorial is located in the centre of the town at Victoria Park, and there is a pathway lined with statues and stories of people who served.
There are 35 bells in The Carillon, built in 1933 to commemorate the men who served in World War I.
Located in the same park is this memorial to the soldiers of the Boer War in Africa, dedicated by Lord Kitchener.
There is an excellent resource of war memorials across Australia here.
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