A LIFE-size statue of a soldier honouring young men from Sans Souci who died in World War I became a symbol of how quickly their sacrifice could be forgotten.
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The Dolls Point Digger, as the private memorial was known, stood at the corner of Clareville and Russell avenues from 1920 to the late 1950s.
It was well known to residents and passengers on the steam trams, and later the trolley buses, which ran between Kogarah and Sans Souci.
Schoolchildren were brought to the site on occasions such as Anzac Day and Empire Day, and one photo shows the memorial covered with flowers.
However, by the 1940s it had fallen into disrepair, and vandalism followed.
In 1956, the Australasian Post lamented: "All over Australia you will find sadly neglected war memorials, but few, if any, as badly treated as this one at Dolls Point, on Botany Bay."
By the time it was finally removed and disposed of, all that remained was the base and parts of the legs, which had toppled into tangled overgrowth.
The full story is told by Sans Souci historian Garry Darby in The Enigmatic 'Dolls Point Digger' Memorial, The History of a Statue.
Dr Darby said he had been curious about the story for many years, but information had been hard to come by.
He "solved the mystery" with help from the family of the stonemason who made the statue, and a former resident on whose land it had stood for many years
Dr Darby recalls in the booklet how, at the age of six or seven, he would look across at the memorial from the trolley bus: "It always seemed to me to be a mysterious and lonely but dignified character," he wrote of the Digger.
GALLIPOLI LINK
THE figure of a World War I Digger (pictured) was made from chicken wire and cement in 1917 by Sandringham stonemason Richard Taylor.
It is believed he was inspired by having two sons in the war, one of whom served at Gallipoli.
Both returned safely, although they had injuries.
Mr Taylor produced the sculpture for a community group at Miranda, but it was unable to pay the agreed sum, and he appealed to Sans Souci residents for funding.
When this move failed, the statue was placed in a small park and later on private property at the the intersection of Clareville and Russell avenues.
About 1930 the Taylor family moved from the area.
The 16-page booklet costs $10 and is available by calling 9583 9916 or emailing garry@garrydarby.com
