With the Centenary of the Gallipoli Landings just 2 days away, preparations are in full swing for the upcoming commemorations.
At Newson Park, Carl Valerius is hard at work bringing the memorial back to its former glory. So far, the statue of the Australian soldier sitting atop the memorial, once covered in grime and moss, is now a glistening white. All the minute details are now apparent for all to see, from the button holes and wrinkles in the uniform, to the chip in the brim of the hat from when the memorial was moved from Albury Street to Neill Street in the 1960s.
The statue, sculptured in 1922, is an Italian marble piece by the renowned monuments mason, Frank Rusconi. Rusconi was born to Swiss parents in Araluen near Braidwood, but was apprenticed in Italy and Switzerland before returning to Australia in 1901 and settling in Gundagai in 1905. Rusconi is known for his works at the Galong cemetery, particularly the white marble headstones and sculptures of the Ryan family. He made the base of the Dog on the Tuckerbox in Gundagai, the Tumut Catholic Church altar, two war memorials in Gundagai as well as the memorial in Newson Park. His most famous work is known the ‘Marble Masterpiece’. This piece is a model building comprising of 20,948 different pieces of marble. It took 28 years for Rusconi to build it, and it is now on display at the Gundagai Tourist Information Centre.
Four plinths around the base of the Newson Park memorial are missing a critical feature. “There used to be two artillery shells and a canon sitting here,” said Carl Valerius, pointing to the plinths. “Apparently, they just disposed of them when they moved the memorial in the 1960s. I know one woman in town has one, but her name escapes me.” Do you know where they have gone?
The memorial at Newson Park, the memorial in Murrumburrah, and the Honour Roll commemorating fallen former students of Murrumburrah Public School during the First World War are all receiving much needed attention.
The Returned Soldiers League (RSL) has contributed $4,000.00 to the restorations, courtesy of the efforts of Graham Chalker of the RSL and Brian Dunn of the Harden-Murrumburrah Light Horse Troop. Funding has also been supplied by a Federal grant of $5,000.00 from the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program.