Gayndah War Memorial

Constructed in 1921, the memorial comprises a splendid art metal Honour Board mounted onto a concrete free-standing structure with pinnacles in the form of artillery shells encircled by wreaths. Such imaginative re-cycling of artillery discards being typical of Gunderson's war memorials. The bronze Honour Board is in a shape standardly used by Gunderson, bears brass lettering, and standard range of war memorial embellishments in brass, including: mounted Light Horsemen, laurel wreaths, AIF badges, crossed flags and cannons. In addition it has embellishments which are unique to this Board: at the top a figure of Britannia holding a shield of "Liberty"; and at the base kangaroos and an emu - a rather bizarre combination of British and Australian emblems. Names of about 270 local "brave men who volunteered to fight in the Great War" are listed on the Honour Board, those who died being distinguished by small crowns. The supporting structure has a stepped base, the upper step veneered with marble. Behind the memorial there is a formal garden with clipped shrubs, a war trophy (captured gun) and a metal flagstaff, so making an appropriate surround.

Additions were made to the memorial in 1995 to honour those fromt he Gayndah Shire who served in WW2, and post-1945 conflicts.

This particular memorial is a rare example of a war memorial which was privately commissioned and then donated as a public memorial, and later supplemented by another major private donation. It is situated between the Post Office and the Library in Capper Street, Gayndah and directly addresses the street. Behind is a memorial garden comprising a trophy gun, paving and garden beds, and surrounding concrete slabs which commemorate service personnel of the Second World War and subsequent conflicts up to Somalia. The Second World War names are incised in white granite, and the other plaques are in bronze.

The concrete structure sits on a wide stepped base, also of concrete apart from the central portion of the upper step which is marble veneered. The structure itself comprises a flat central section capped with a triangular pediment and flanked by two square pillars with a simple repetitive motif on the front faces. The pillars are surmounted by artillery shells encircled with bronze wreaths. At the foot of each pillar are bronze plaques commemorating later conflicts.

The bronze honour board is mounted on the central section. It displays the names of the local men who served in the First World War with those who died identified by a small crown after their name. The five columns of names are centrally located on the board and are covered by clear glass in a metal frame.

The upper section of the board is capped with scrollwork flanking a female figure of Britannia holding a shield of 'Liberty'. The figure stands above a laurel wreath encircling crossed flags and the words FOR KING AND COUNTRY. An oval plaque indicating the origins of the memorial sits below the wreaths and is flanked by AIF badges. The words ROLL OF HONOUR follow the line of the scrollwork. On each side of this central section are pilasters capped by figures of mounted Light Horsemen above the dates 1914 - 1919. Relief work of infantry men are displayed at the bottom of each pilaster.

The lower section of the board displays oval plaques in each corner with relief work of an emu and a kangaroo. Additional relief work comprises a British lion and a kangaroo in the centre and cannons at each side.