Wisemans Ferry and District War Memorial

Following approval from Hornsby Council, a committee was formed on October 5th, 2010 to construct a fitting memorial in honour of the men and women who departed the district for service in times of war.

The war memorial was designed by Wayne Moore & Neil Marsh and completed one week before Anzac Day 2015. It was unveiled by local resident, Mrs Dyrus Thompson, a descendant of one of the Anzacs.

The sandstone memorial comprises an obelisk, standing on top of a centre column and plinth. The column is in the ‘Sentry Box’ style and was designed to accommodate the 1-metretall bronze sculpture of a First World War Australian Digger. The sculpture is the work of Hungarian-born Alex Kolozsy.

Black granite from the Grandee Granite Quarry in the Mulyandry district was used to form the Sentry Box archway, which has the inscription ‘Valour/Honour’ engraved on either side of the entrance. The plinth, or base, of the Sentry Box bears the unveiling plaque.

The plinth received a ‘Convict picked and margined’ makeover from local stonemason Paul McKinley to complement the district’s colonial convict heritage. (Sadly, Paul passed away in February this year. His sister, Kath Ware’s touching tribute can be read on Page 19).

The obelisk, which was the final stage of construction of the memorial, was to undergo three design changes before completion. To obtain a single, 2.4-metre-long log of light grey stone, without grain or flaw, proved to be very difficult.

This resulted in a compromise, including a change in height/concept to accommodate the join. The obelisk inscription ‘Sacred to their Memory’ was the work of Central Coast stonemason Jon Bye. The sides of the obelisk house four large bronze plaques, representing the three service branches and the Merchant Navy.

The Memorial is located in a community reserve, adjacent to the Wisemans Ferry Bowling Club.