Quorrobolong First World War Memorial Gates

About

These war memorial gates were established in honour of those who served in the First World War. They consist of two sandstone pillars, joined by a pair of metal gates. On the front of each pillar, carved into the stone, is the emblem of the Australian Commonwealth Military Forces. Attached below each of the emblems, is a white marble tablet shaped like a shield. They are inscribed with the names of 17 servicemen from the area. Fives names are marked with a Maltese cross, indicating they were killed in action or otherwise died as a result of their service.  The memorial was originally built for the Quorrobolong Public School, which suggests the veterans inscribed may have been ex-students. They were unveiled at celebrations held on 7 October 1922 (The Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder, 29 September 1922).  The school was relocated around June 1935 and the gates were moved to the new site by the Quorrobolong Progress Association. They took that opportunity to refurbish the various elements, including cleaning the stonework and inscriptions and painting the gates. They were unveiled on 19 December 1936 by Mr J.M. Baddeley, who was instrumental in the project (The Maitland Daily Mercury, 22 December 1936). The school was closed in 1961 and sold as a private property. The plaques were removed by a local. The plaques were recovered by the owner of the the property and remounted on the pillars in 2018. The gates have been restored and repainted by the property owner.

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