Remembrance Day, November 11, 2023 marks 100 years since the Kogarah War Memorlial was dedicated to commemorate Australian armed services personnel who died serving their country.
The memorial was originally erected to commemorate those who died in service or were killed in action in World War One.
Since then the memorial has been rededicated to commemorate the sacrifice of those Australian service personnel who sacrificed their lives in World War II 1939 to 1945, the war in Korea 1950 to 1953, Malaya and Vietnam.
The memorial was was originally located in Gray Street, Kogarah.
Deemed to be a traffic hazard it was relocated to the north west corner of Kogarah Park next to Jubilee Oval and re-dedicated at the ANZAC Day dawn service on April 25, 1968.
It was originally unveiled by Major-General C Brand on November 11, 1923 watched by a large crowd.
The Sydney Morning Herald said at the time, "The new monument, which is an artistic piece of work, has been carried out in granite and Camden sandstone, and cost £370."
Commenting at the unveiling, Major-General Brand said of the memorial, "It will always be to us a reminder of what we owe to them, and, an inspiration to the generation growing up."
Georges River Council was awarded a Community War Memorials Fund (CWMF) grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2022 to support the conservation of the memorial.
A council report in February, 2023, said "The memorial was showing outward signs of stress and the passage of time. The restoration work done for this project would not have been possible without the Community War Memorials Fund grant and included the cleaning of all surfaces as well as the repair of damaged stone work and mortar with a focus on preserving the original fabric of the structure. The heritage structure was completely revitalised by the sensitive restoration work - a fitting tribute to our veterans in this 100th year of the Kogarah War Memorial."
David Johns, President of Kogarah RSL sub-Branch praised the restoration work.
"The cenotaph looks really good, they have done a great job restoring it," Mr Johns said: "Kogarah RSL Sub-branch really appreciates the effort that has gone into this project, as does the local community. This will ensure that a piece of local military history is preserved for future generations, in particular for Anzac Day commemoration, and more broadly the remembrance of all serving personnel past and present."
The service will be held by the Kogarah RSL Sub-branch this Saturday at 11am.
They have done a great job restoring it.
- David Johns
