Proserpine Cenotaph

Details

Location Ken Macpherson Memorial Gardens, Main Street, Proserpine, Whitsunday - Queensland, Australia
Type memorial
Description

Red Granite Column Memorial

THE ORIGINAL PROSERPINE WW1 TABLET HAD 19 NAMES ETCHED IN MARBLE. IT WAS UNVEILED BY MRS. SHEPHERD, THE WIFE OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SHIRE COUNCIL IN AUGUST 1919.

“I NOW UNVEIL THIS MEMORIAL TABLET TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE BRAVE VOLUNTEERS FROM PROSERPINE, WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE, AND HEREBY DECLARE THE MONUMENT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND TRUST THE NAMES THEREON WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN”

IT WAS FIRSTLY LOCATED AT THE SHOWGROUND, THEN IN FRONT OF THE SUGAR MILL & FINALLY BESIDE THE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE.

THE NEW CENOTAPH HAS AN ADDITIONAL 6 WW1 SOLDIERS NAMES.

WW1 DATA

LAY IN UNKNOWN GRAVES: 10
BORN IN PROSERPINE: 1
SERVED ON GALLIPOLI: 2
K.I.A. GALLIPOLI: 1
K.I.A. BELGIUM: 10
K.I.A. FRANCE: 12
DIED FROM ILLNESS: 2

CENOTAPH WW2 DATA:
ADDITIONAL NAMES: 15
BORN IN PROSERPINE: 23
SERVED WW1 & WW2 2
R.A.A.F.: 14
P.O.W.s: 15
LOST AT SEA: 4
DIED IN SOUTH PACIFIC REGION: 21
DIED IN MIDDLE EAST: 9
DIED IN ENGLAND/EUROPE: 6
DIED IN AUSTRALIA: 11
RATS OF TOBRUK 6

(INFORMATION SOURCED FROM “PROSERPINE ANSWERED THE CALL” by Lyn Burke & Lloyd Fox)

Today marked a momentous occasion as the new Proserpine Cenotaph was officially opened. The previous war memorial sat in the construction zone for the new Proserpine Entertainment Centre (PEC) which needed rebuilding after Cyclone Debbie. Albeit through unfortunate circumstances, the demolition and reconstruction of the PEC created the perfect opportunity to revamp the old, tired Cenotaph.

Mayor Andrew Willcox said, “Council worked alongside the Proserpine RSL Sub-branch to create a traditional design for the Cenotaph which would have a greater impact on the community and be more functional for commemorative ceremonies. “We wanted the new Cenotaph to be a memorial that our residents would be proud of,” he said. “The Cenotaph represents more than names; it is a tribute to the efforts and the hardship endured by our servicemen and women. Twenty-one new names, including two indigenous soldiers, were added to the list of those who lost their lives in battle,” Mayor Willcox said.

The new memorial was celebrated with an Official Dedication Ceremony led by Proserpine RSL Sub-branch President, Jason Raiteri. “The Cenotaph represents a headstone for all those Proserpine Servicemen who were killed during service and lay in cemeteries across Europe and the Pacific,” said Mr Raiteri. “It is a special place for many local families with relative’s names engraved on the Cenotaph. It also provides the Proserpine community with an appropriate gathering point for commemorative ceremonies,” he said. “The new Cenotaph will ensure that the names of all Proserpine’s fallen to date are forever displayed and their sacrifice will be remembered by future generations.”

The ceremony consisted of a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony which was led by Aunty Agnes of the Gia people, followed by a blessing from each of the local parishes and a wreath laying service conducted by the Proserpine RSL Sub-Branch.

The project was jointly funded by the Queensland Government under the Queensland Veterans’ Memorial Grants Program and the Commonwealth Government’s Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program.
Whitsunday Regional Council, 22 March 2022.

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Built Not yet discovered
Opened 22 March 2022
Inscription

LEST
WE
FORGET

TO THE MEMORY
OF THOSE BRAVE VOLUNTEERS FROM PROSERPINE
WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE DURING

THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1916

NAME UNIT DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE

WWII 1939 - 1945

NAME UNIT DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE

KORENA WAR 1950 -1953

NAME UNIT DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE

Condition

Good

Names

Showing 8 people of interest from memorial

MUNROE, Albert Henry

Service number 426647
Flying Officer
No. 466 Squadron (RAAF)
Royal Australian Air Force
Born 6 Oct 1923

FERGUSON, Oswald Edward

Service number 3913
Flight Sergeant
No. 10 Squadron (RAAF)
Royal Australian Air Force
Born 9 Mar 1911

CROWLEY, Patrick Joseph

Service number 3817
Flight Sergeant
RAAF Transport and Movement Offices
Royal Australian Air Force
Born 4 Feb 1915

ROSS, Francis Adrian Oscar Herbert

Service number 6305
Private
9th Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 2 Jan 1900

VALMADRE, Reginald Joseph

Service number QX11305
Private
2nd/26th Infantry Battalion
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 17 Feb 1919

SMAIL, Robert Alfred

Service number 2397
Private
12th Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 18 May 1891

DAYES, Francis

Service number 2152
Private
47th Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born Dec 1895

CATHERWOOD, Eric Maxwell

Service number QX35565
Major General
1 Base Sub Area HQ
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 17 Oct 1895

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