Footscray Avenue of Honour and War Memorial Shaft
end Geelong Road FOOTSCRAY, Maribyrnong City
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Statement of Significance
The Geelong Road war memorial shaft, and memorial plaque are significant to the City of Maribyrnong:
- as a memorial expressing the great impact on service personnel and the Footscray district community of the two world wars (Criterion A4, G1);
- as the product of a local stone supplier, Standard Quarries, and a remnant of a once highly notable Avenue of Honour, consisting of mature landscape and a strong symmetrical design (Criterion E1);
- as part of a locally significant group of memorials located around the intersection of Ballarat and Geelong Roads, marking this as the favoured site for public commemoration in inter and immediate post-war Footscray (Criterion A4, G1).
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Footscray Avenue of Honour and War Memorial Shaft - Physical Description 1
This memorial is a tapering rounded corner shaft carved from freestone, set on a square basalt base in a grassed median on the service lane at the north end of the Geelong Road.
Set in the concrete apron at the base are bronze plaques stating 1914-18, 1939-45. A bonze wreath is located near the top and the words `lest We Forget' incised into the stone within a vertical margin. Other rectangular concrete blocks were set in the lawn to the south of the shaft each with the names of service personnel: at least one survives nearby, dedicated with `Private C Olson, 1914-18', cast into a bronze plate.
A picture from 1951 depicting the Anzac Day march, shows this shaft at the start of a long and mature avenue of Canary Island palms that extended down both side medians of Geelong Road. Presumably the name blocks were once set at the base of each palm.
Today, there is immature native planting.
Footscray Avenue of Honour and War Memorial Shaft - Physical Conditions
The shaft is externally good (partially disturbed, well preserved)
Footscray Avenue of Honour and War Memorial Shaft - Integrity
The shaft is substantially intact but the matching shaft and the tree avenue have gone. The name plaques and associated blocks are incomplete.
Footscray Avenue of Honour and War Memorial Shaft - Historical Australian Themes
A4 Importance for their association with events, developments or cultural phases which have had a significant role in the human occupation and evolution of the nation, state, region or community.
Part of a locally significant group of memorials located around the intersection of Ballarat and Geelong Roads, marking this as the favoured site for public commemoration in inter and immediate post-war Footscray.
memorial expressing the great impact on service personnel and the Footscray district community of the two world wars
E1 Importance for a community for aesthetic characteristics held in high esteem or otherwise valued by the community.
Product of a local stone supplier, Standard Quarries, and a remnant of a once highly notable Avenue of Honour, consisting of mature landscape and a strong symmetrical design
G1 Importance as places highly valued by a community for reasons of religious, spiritual, cultural, educational or social associations.
Part of a locally significant group of memorials located around the intersection of Ballarat and Geelong Roads, marking this as the favoured site for public commemoration in inter and immediate post-war Footscray.
memorial expressing the great impact on service personnel and the Footscray district community of the two world warsFootscray Avenue of Honour and War Memorial Shaft - Physical Description 2
Map (Melway) 42 C3
Boundary description The memorial shaft and name plaque, plus land within 5m of each, with emphasis on fabric from the construction date.
Heritage Significance: City
Creation date(s): 1948
Local Government Area: City of Maribyrnong
Ownership Type: PublicVeterans Description for Public
Footscray Avenue of Honour and War Memorial Shaft - Veterans Description for Public
The Footscray War Memorial is a tapering rounded corner shaft carved from freestone, set on a square basalt base in a grassed median on the service lane at the north end of the Geelong Road. Set in the concrete apron at the base are bronze plaques with the dates,1914-18, 1939-45. A bronze wreath is located near the top and the words `Lest We Forget' incised into the stone within a vertical margin. Other rectangular concrete blocks were set in the lawn to the south of the shaft each with the names of service personnel: at least one survives nearby, dedicated with `Private C Olson, 1914-18', cast into a bronze plate. A picture from 1951 depicting the Anzac Day march, shows this shaft at the start of a long and mature avenue of Canary Island palms that extended down both side medians of Geelong Road. Presumably the name blocks were once set at the base of each palm.
After the Second World War, an Avenue of Honour dedicated to those who had served, was planted along Geelong Road south. It was composed of desert and claret ash trees, with each tree bearing a plaque with a serviceman's name. It was proposed by the Footscray Tree Planter group. This was in addition to the existing avenue of Canary Island palms, at the north end of Geelong Road, leading to the memorial in Footscray Park.
Two 20 feet high columns to mark the ends of the avenue were donated anonymously and placed at the corner of Geelong Road and Nicholson Street and Geelong Road and Somerville Road. They were fabricated and erected by the successful local firm, Standard Quarries. This firm supplied stonework for many major Victorian buildings as well as the shaft at the Second World War forecourt, added to the Shrine of Remembrance in that era. The column at the north end of the Avenue of Honour was unveiled September 19th 1948 by Gab Aarons who was blinded in the First World War.Unfortunately, road widening in the 1960s decimated the Avenue of Honour and a traffic accident took out the Somerville Road column, although the Nicholson Street column, some trees and plaques remain. Another War Memorial, a granite monument, was unveiled near the Dynon Road Bridge after the Second World War.
Heritage Study and Grading
Maribyrnong - Maribyrnong Heritage Review
Author: Jill Barnard, Graeme Butler, Francine Gilfedder & Gary Vines
Year: 2000
Grading:
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