Friday, March 02, 2007

Friday History Lesson...Number 1

In reading a blog called Old Dog New Trick, Betty gave me an idea for a post...originally, she didn't have an idea for a post and it turned into one of the best I have read!! It was about her trip to Northern California. Betty spoke of the people's love of their trees, how they are named and made into tourist attractions.

So it made me want to write about something very special here inAustralia. We too have memorial trees, these are for our fallen soldiers from WW1. In the township of Lakes Entrance in Victoria, there was an Avenue of Honour of Monterey Cypress Trees planted ( in 1924). This was to remember the 26 local men that were killed in that war.

Story goes that some of the trees were removed for various reasons over the years and back in 1997 the council was going to remove the remainder, with much upheaval from the local community.

Following a public campaign by the Lakes Entrance Regional Historical Society the trunks of six of the trees have been preserved and transformed into memorial sculptures by chainsaw artist John Brady. These sculptures are regularly waxed and oiled to preserve the wood.

Wounded Soldier and Donkey. CARVED BY JOHN BRADY, JUNE 1998.

Family waiting for dad. Carved by John Brady, Feb 1999.


WW1 Nurse. CARVED BYJOHN BRADY, AUG 1998.

SIMPSON* HELPING A WOUNDED SOLDIER TO WHERE HIS DONKEY AND ANOTHER PATIENT WAITS CARVED BY JOHN BRADY, SEPT 1998.

Soldier WWI SOLDIER byJOHN BRADY, MAY 1998.

Each sculpture has a plaque attached similar to:THESE SCULPTURES HONOUR THE MEMORY OF FIRST WORLD WAR DEAD AND INJURED PLEASE TREAT THEM WITH RESPECT LAKES ENTRANCE R.S.L.

* Private John Simpson Kirkpatrick was a stretcher bearer on Gallipoli who used a donkey to rescue wounded soldiers.

So there you have it, a small history lesson for everyone. Have a wonderful and safe weekend my friends :)

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you Miss.

Anonymous said...

Where is the cake? We want a photo of the cake! lol

Menchie said...

what a beautiful to commemorate history. i wish i got a chance to see those while i was there.

Keshi said...

WOW what a beautiful read!

I love that pic of Family waiting for dad.

Keshi.

Gollywobbles said...

Very touching Cassie. It was a very good post, thanks for sharing!

Jay said...

Very, very, VERY cool!

Stace said...

Those are pretty awesome! And a wonderful way to remember. It seems somehow more meaningful than simply trees - a visual and easily recognised symbol. Lovely!

Cazzie!!! said...

Andrew, no worries, run along now, it is recess time :)

Rebecca, the cake has been demolished, and not by me of course!!!

Menchie, it sure is lovely, maybe next time you will :)

Keshi, I am so glad you liked it, I am proud of it too.

The Samstress, I am glad I touched your heart :)

Jay Man, I reckon it is way cool too mate.

Stace, yeah, you are sooo right love, they are so much more meaningful than trees!!!

Anonymous said...

Lovely post Cazzie.

Whitesnake said...

They shall not grow old as those that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn,
At the going down of the sun,
and in the morning,,,,
We shall remember them........

Cazzie!!! said...

Phil, thanks mate.

Whitesnake, that always always always makes me teary mate :( Yet so true.

Lucy said...

Hello!
Always I was suprised your post. Because when I check your new post, I am a last reader. LOL
Your blog friends were fast to comment...

Steph said...

Very cool.

dc said...

Wow! Thanks for sharing a little of your history. I agree with someone else here, I think the carvings are more inspiring than the trees. Great post!! dc

Romeo Morningwood said...

Those sculptures are astonishing.
The ANZAC and Canucks were used as shock troops in WW1 and it was such a terrible, cruel event.
So many men (boys) were sent to their deaths. I always get upset watching Galipoli.
We must never forget the true cost of War.

Cazzie!!! said...

Lovely Lucy, looks like you are not the last reader or commenter now love :) I am glad you stopped by to read this :)

Steph, yes it sure is cool.

DC, yes, and I have agreed with that response, the carvings have definitely got alot of character. I love woodwork, and this man has sweat blood over carving these I reckon, astonishing tribute.

HE, yes, I concur, I always always always cry when I watch Gallipoli, and when the last post is played, and when ANZAC Day comes around each year, and on Nov 11th our Rememberance Day, and when, as Whitesnake said, We Shall Remember Them...ohhh, shivers I get the shivers too.

Betty said...

Wonderful sculptures, Cazzie. Thank you for sharing them with us. And, thanks for the mention.

Cazzie!!! said...

No worries Betty, I thought your story was just great :)

Steven said...

I"m always impressed with sculpture. I have some artistic talent, but I've always kinda sucked int eh sculpture area.

Steve~

poody said...

that is so cool. Why did they cut them down? Were they just too old?

The Stormin Mormon said...

I like that way of honoring the past and the sacrifices that the people and families made for the greater good. Though I must say that I am confused as to why they bothered to remove the trees in the first place.

Cazzie!!! said...

Steven, yeah, I know it!! I love my painting skills, and am not too bad at sketching but with sculpturing, I have a bit of a way to go. My 7 year old son is the3 creative one. ALways making things out of my empty cartons and boxes and the like.

Poody, I believe that some of the trees were internally rotting, but not sure of the other trees that were removed prior to the fabulous sculptures you see here.

The Stormin Mormin, yes, honoring the sacrifice of not just the soldiers but he families is so valid. It still affects people to this very day, that is the horrible thing that war does.

Deadman said...

Awesome post, Cazzie. I'd love to see these sometime for real.

Cazzie!!! said...

MArk, when you do come, be sure to let us know, we can all make the cool trip together :)

Chris Morris said...

On that note, I propose there is a tree carved in my honor of me powering down a "Hungry Man" TV Dinner while wearing my Mexican Wrestling Mask.

PeppyPilotGirl said...

How neat. Thanks for sharing that!

AspergantuS said...

Cazzie,
A great way to honor our fallen heroes. Thank you for posting it, and thank you for remembering.

Mick

AspergantuS said...

ps(-->) I think you have a wonderful sight. I've added it to my sidebar... that is if you don't mind...

Cazzie!!! said...

Beefcake, I reckon it never happened if you don't take pics as evidence!!! Spill it on your blog :)

Peppy, no worries, I enjoyed posting this one.

QOD, they sure are a wonderful testament to the men who lost their lives, and the families who lost their loved ones too.

Mick, thanks so much for visiting, I think if posts like this aren't written then perhaps the true galantry fot he men and women of war may be forgotten. Afterall, our freedom here is a result of what happened back in the day.
I have also aded you to my roll, I absolutely loved your post!!! Music rocks my world. Just last night I was at my mum's with 3 of my kids and one of her grandkids and we were rocking to Old Time Rock and Roll, Copperhead Road, and a bit of Fleetwood Mac.
They all played air guitar and we danced for ages, now that was my Saturday night!!!

AspergantuS said...

Cazzie,
You are so right. Those that died to give us the freedom we have today should always be remembered, regardless of where they are from. I'm very glad to know that the same feeling we have here, also resides in Australia. What a wonder thing to have in common with somone on the other side of the world.
Glad to hear music is a big part in anyone's life. Another wonderful thing to share. Of course music crosses oceans and borders easier and much faster than we can!! By the way, I found you from Incoherent Ramblings. That is my older brother's blog.

Middle Child said...

Wow! That is just incredible. I am so glad Cazzie that you see the value in these sorts of things...it is not honouring war, it is honouring the incredible bravery of ordinary people.

Thanks for sharing this. I will show my husband.

Stewart Sternberg (half of L.P. Styles) said...

I think those are amazing tributes. They were moving. THanks for posting that.

M said...

just beautiful! I've never been there. I should do a road trip and see.

M said...

thank you for the wonderful history lesson. i think i would have enjoyed history class in school if we got to see cool stuff like that. you know?

Cazzie!!! said...

Mick, yes, the Universal language that IS music!!! Rockin'all over the World hey, lol.
The ANZAC spirit lives in so many Aussies and New Zealanders, comeradery not only of soldiers and their families, but the subsequent generations who live with those affected in day to day life by war. The good that comes from it, if you can call it good, is that we band together and look after our mates. The bad, which is the legacy of it, is the ongoing emotional affect, Post Traumatic Disorders and the like. It saddens me when people don't understand PTA, then again, perhaps they were the "lucky ones" not to have witnessed such things in their families.
I am not sure there are too many families that were not touched in some way, or who din't know soemone who was in the WW1 or WW2 conflicts here in Australia.
The sound of the Last Post and the reading of the Going Down of the Sun Verse always brings me tears and shivers on our ANZAC Day and Rememberance Day. There you go, music again!!!!

MC, "...it is not honouring war, it is honouring the incredible bravery of ordinary people." You so hit the nail on the head there, I could not have said it better myself :)

Stewart, thanks so much for visiting, and I am glad you were moved by this :)

~M, yes, do that, and make sure you take pics aswell :)

Meredith, yes, it is true, if we see tributes like this first hand it has got to show that we are respectful and remembering of our past history...that our past history is what happened, to allow us to be free in the now.

lee said...

The story of Simpson and his donkey would break your heart, wouldn't it? I'm sure that every Australian (of a certain vintage ;) )remembers the story. It wasn't until I just went and read the wikipedia bit that I realised that it was only a very short time that he was helping the others before he was killed. Somehow that fact never stuck in my head.

Cazzie!!! said...

Lee, welcome :) Yes, I agree, it never stuck in my head as I just don't recall it!! I thought he lived on ya know..well, I guess he does in our minds anyhow. Lest We Forget.

Ginnie said...

A very interesting post and it has brought back a memory which will make a nice blog entry. Thanks. I wish Australia weren't so very far away...I'd love to see it all in person.

Cazzie!!! said...

Ginnie, that woudl be great if we could visit it together :)
The beauty of the net brings us closer, and allows us to share such greatness as these tributes :)

Spark Driver said...

I seen the sculptures while at Lakes last week. Made myself look very intelligent by telling my camp buddies the history behind them.

Yashila said...

Thank you for the info. It sounds pretty user friendly. I guess I’ll pick one up for fun. thank u


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