Wye River Memorial
Great Ocean Road WYE RIVER, Colac Otway Shire
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Statement of Significance
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Wye River Memorial - Historical Australian Themes
Memorials & Monuments (9.3)
Wye River Memorial - Physical Description 1
The war memorial cairn is a large pyramidal obelisk cairn constructed of coursed river rocks with a smallconcrete pyramid capping. The mortar joint between each stone is deeply set giving each stone a stronglymodelled appearance. The front of the cairn has an inset polished granite plaque inscribed with "Lest WeForget", the front also bears a circular wreath the centre of which is inset with a contrasting arrangement ofrandomly coursed river pebbles. Some of the concrete has deteriorated on the face of the Cairn and is now in need of urgent repair.
Wye River Memorial - Physical Conditions
Fair
Wye River Memorial - Integrity
Substantially intact
Veterans Description for Public
Wye River Memorial - Veterans Description for Public
The Wye River Second World War Memorial Cairn was built in the late 1940s on the south bank of Wye River, on the Great Ocean Road. The Cairn was the initiative of a group of local returned servicemen led by Roy Arundell, and was erected by local builder Doug Dunn. The Cairn has provided the focus for annual memorial services held at Wye River on Anzac Day to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives in service. Two or three decades ago, between fifty and seventy ex-servicemen attended commemorations on the Sunday before Anzac Day. Commemoration services continued to be held on the Sunday before Anzac Day at the end of the twentieth century, but in 2001 only eight ex-servicemen from Wye River, and four from Apollo Bay, attended. However, the local community continues to turn out in force to remember and commemorate those who lost their lives in the world wars.
The Cairn is distinguished by its unusually detailed design and dignified use of local materials such a beach stones. Itis a large pyramidal obelisk cairn constructed of coursed river rocks with a small concrete pyramid capping. The mortar joint between each stone is deeply set giving each stone a strongly modelled appearance. The front of the cairn has an inset polished granite plaque inscribed with "Lest We Forget", the front also bears a circular wreath the centre of which is inset with a contrasting arrangement of randomly coursed river pebbles.Heritage Study and Grading
Colac Otway - Colac Otway Heritage Study
Author: Mary Sheehan & Associates
Year: 2003
Grading: Local
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Wye River MemorialVic. War Heritage Inventory
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