MemorialsOxley Island Soldiers Great War Honor Roll
About
The memorial is a simply designed honor roll for the First World War. It consists of a white marble tablet, inset into a maple timber frame. Both the frame and the tablet have a classically shaped pediment at the top. The names of those who enlisted from Oxley Island are inscribed in the centre of the tablet and blackened. They are divided into two sections, under the headings 'In Memoriam' and 'Honor Roll'. The memoriam heading is highlighted with a gold banner and a small gold cross. Above the names is the emblem of the Australian Commonwealth Military Forces, carved into the marble. Initial discussion and fundraising for a memorial began at Oxley Island's Empire Day celebration in 1921, which was reported on in The Manning River Times on 4 June 1921. On the day: Several items of a patriotic nature were rendered by the children, one being specially written to draw attention to the absence of any memorial to the men of the Island who took part in the Great War, and to strengthen the hands of Mr. J. W. Evans, who is taking the leading part in rectifying this omission. Mr. J. W. Evans made an appeal for subscriptions towards a memorial to the soldiers, and the result was a strong working committee and about £13 in cash. A meeting of subscribers to the Oxley Island Soldiers Memorial Hall was held in November 1921 to "decide what form the [m]emorial will take" (Manning River Times, 26 November 1921). It was decided to erect an honor roll, the committee called tenders and funds were raised by locals. Six tenders were received and the work was completed by Russell and Belford of Wallsend, whose names appear at the bottom of the tablet. The roll was unveiled at the Oxley Island School of Arts Hall on 6 April 1922 by Mrs Fred Schmitzer, who lost two sons in the war. A detailed description of the ceremony and roll was published in the Northern Champion, 12 April 1922, including the list of names. Access to the memorial is restricted to the opening hours of the hall. Several names on this roll also appear on the Oxley Island Public School Great War Honour Roll and Library Cabinet.