Finch Hatton War Memorial

General

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Classification

State Heritage

Register status

Entered

Date entered

21 October 1992

Type

Monuments and Memorials: Memorial/Monument - war

Theme

8.6 Creating social and cultural institutions: Commemorating significant events

Architect

Melrose & Fenwick

Builder

Melrose & Fenwick

Construction period

1921, Finch Hatton War Memorial (1921 - 1921)

Historical period

1919–1930s Interwar period

Style

Eclectic

Location

Address

Anzac Parade, Finch Hatton

LGA

Mackay Regional Council

Coordinates

-21.14042963, 148.6320494

Significance

Criterion AThe place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland’s history.

The Finch Hatton War Memorial, erected in 1921, is a good example of a finely crafted monument and is important in demonstrating Queensland's involvement in a major world event. World War I (WWI) memorials are a tribute to those who served, and those who died, from a particular community. As the focus of ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies, they are an important element of Queensland's towns and cities and are also important in demonstrating a common pattern of commemoration across Queensland and Australia.

Criterion DThe place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.

The Finch Hatton War memorial is a good example of a well-designed and finely crafted WWI monument with a digger statue, and is a fine example of the work of the monumental masons Melrose and Fenwick. It is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a WWI memorial, including its visible location in the centre of the town, stone construction, and plaques bearing the names of those who died. Its digger statue is representative of the most popular form of WWI memorial in Queensland. The later addition of a plaque dedicated to those who died in World War II (WWII) was a typical practice in Queensland.

Criterion EThe place is important because of its aesthetic significance.

This particular memorial is of aesthetic significance for its high level of workmanship and design, and is a landmark due to its highly visible location on the main street, which enhances the Finch Hatton townscape. The pedestal displays a pattern and design which is unusually ornate for war memorials in Queensland.

Criterion GThe place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

The Finch Hatton War memorial, funded by public subscription, has a strong and special association with the Finch Hatton and Netherdale communities. Commemorations at the cenotaph reflect the wider reverence felt for war memorials across Australia. As a focus for ANZAC Day ceremonies the monument is highly valued by the community for its spiritual, symbolic, cultural and social associations.

History

The Finch Hatton War Memorial, located in the town of Finch Hatton west of Mackay, was completed by 19 November 1921, at a cost of over £200, paid for by public subscription. The stone monument with a digger statue was designed and produced by Melrose and Fenwick of Mackay, and honours 16 local men who died in World War I (WWI). A later plaque honours seven who died in World War II (WWII).

The erection of the memorial was made possible through the combined efforts of the settlements of Finch Hatton and Netherdale, both part of the traditional land of the Yuwibara people, in the Pioneer Valley west of Mackay.[1] European settlement of the Pioneer Valley began in the 1860s, with the establishment of pastoral runs. In 1883, the government commenced construction of a railway line running west from Mackay to assist sugar cane growers. This opened to Mirani in August 1885 and was extended over the Pioneer River in 1897. Although the line was extended west to Pinnacle by 1902, good quality agricultural land lay beyond the railway terminus, and the Queensland Government was soon lobbied to extend the line. The Government, however, had other priorities, resulting in the Pioneer Shire Council constructing the extension to Finch Hatton, which opened in 1904.[2]

Finch Hatton, then known as Hatton, already had one hotel and several stores by 1904. The railway line boosted the town’s development and closer settlement in the area, as did the opening of the Cattle Creek sugar mill in 1906. The Finch Hatton State School opened in 1909, and by 1913 the town had two sawmills. Finch Hatton became the main centre of the Pioneer Valley hinterland, and by the 1920s was the third largest township, after Mackay and Sarina, in the region. The Government took over responsibility of the Pinnacle-Finch Hatton section of the railway line from 1 July 1910, and a year later opened an extension west to Netherdale, which was initially called Eungella.[3]

Like all Australian communities, Finch Hatton and Netherdale were affected by WWI, fought from 1914 to 1918. The memorials erected after the war recorded its devastating impact on a young nation. From a population of 4.9 million, 416,809 Australians enlisted for service, and over 60,000 died.[4] Even before the end of hostilities, memorials were being erected by Australian communities. These memorials were a spontaneous and highly visible expression of national grief; substitute graves for the Australians whose bodies lay in battlefield cemeteries in Europe and the Middle East.[5]

Fund-raising for local war memorials was a voluntary community effort, as no State Governments, other than Victoria, made direct grants for local WWI memorials except for the building of halls, hospitals and schools, which were eligible for public money whether or not they were memorials.[6]

At Finch Hatton, fundraising for the ‘Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Fund’ occurred during 1921, including a sports meeting, a horse race, and a grand ball. As the memorial would cost over £200, the locals were encouraged to ‘do their bit to…raise this tribute to our dear boys who have gone before’.[7]

WWI memorials took a variety of forms in Australia, including honour boards, stone monuments (including obelisks, soldier statues, arches, crosses, columns or urns), tree-lined memorial avenues, memorial parks, and utilitarian (useful) structures such as gates, halls and clocks. In Queensland, the soldier statue was the most popular choice of monument, while the obelisk predominated in southern states. The argument over whether a war memorial should simply be a monument, or have a utilitarian function, occurred all over Australia. Post-WWI, most Australian localities decided on a monumental approach (60%), with only 22% choosing utilitarian buildings (mostly memorial halls) and 18% choosing the compromise position of utilitarian monuments (such as memorial clocks or drinking fountains). After WWII, the utilitarian form of memorial increased in popularity, and fewer monuments were built. Typically, tributes to WWII or later wars were added onto or near existing WWI monuments.[8]

Australian war memorials are distinctive in that many list not only the dead, but also those who served and survived. Australians were proud that their first great national army, unlike other belligerent armies, was composed entirely of volunteers, men worthy of honour whether or not they paid the supreme sacrifice. Memorials which honour all who served from a locality provide valuable evidence of community involvement in the war. Such evidence is not readily obtainable from military records, or from state or national listings, where names are categorised alphabetically or by military unit. Australian war memorials are also valuable evidence of imperial and national loyalties; the skills of local stonemasons, metalworkers and architects; and of popular taste.

Most statues were constructed by local masonry firms, although some were crafted by artists or imported. Melrose and Fenwick, the makers of the Finch Hatton monument, were a monumental masonry firm established in Townsville c1896. They were a large firm with branches throughout Northern Queensland, including Mackay.[9] They enjoyed continued success into the late 20th century, only ceasing business in the early 1980s.

The monument at Finch Hatton was almost completed (prior to placement) by 3 November 1921, according to the ‘Fallen Soldiers’ Monument Committee’.[10] Placement of the monument in the street near the railway station was underway by 15 November by Melrose and Fenwick; and the memorial was finished by 19 November – this date being recorded on a plaque on the street (southeast) face of the monument, which lists 16 men from ‘Finch Hatton, Netherdale and Districts’ who died during WWI.[11] The pedestal of the monument is of an unusually ornate style.[12]

There have been some changes to the Finch Hatton War memorial and its immediate context since 1921. In 1929, during a clean-up around the war memorial, four ‘rose trees’ were planted ‘in the enclosure’, one at each corner of the base of the monument (not extant).[13] The early enclosure (not extant)[14] was also painted white in 1932, the same year the monument was cleaned and painted with khaki-coloured kalsomine (lime-based paint/wash).[15] After WWII, an additional plaque was added to the monument, on its southwest face, listing seven local men who died during that conflict. A grassed enclosure with a concrete border was added around the monument between 1996 and 2004, and by 2009 the grass had been replaced with pavers.[16]

In 2021, a century after it was first erected, the Finch Hatton War Memorial continues as a focus for remembrance activities by the local community.

Description

The Finch Hatton War Memorial stands within the road reserve of Anzac Parade / Mackay-Eungella Road, the main street of Finch Hatton, a town located approximately 58 kilometres west of Mackay. The memorial is highly visible within the town and faces southeast, addressing the street and the former Finch Hatton Railway Station [600985] on the opposite side.

The sandstone monument is approximately 5.2 metres high and comprises a digger statue standing on a decorative pedestal, with a stepped base. Marble plaques fixed to the pedestal recognise members of the local community who served in WWI (southeast face) and WWII (southwest face).

The monument was historically set within an enclosure (likely square in plan), with plantings at each corner of the base of the monument (by 1929).

Features of Finch Hatton War Memorial of state-level cultural heritage significance are:

• memorial location and orientation
• setting of monument within an enclosure (current enclosure fabric (by 2009) is not original and is not of state-level cultural heritage significance)
• monument materials and construction: dressed sandstone base, pedestal and statue (on likely concrete footing), with marble plaques and leaded lettering
• digger statue: soldier statue with bowed head and hands crossed over a rifle in the reversed position, standing on a small block, with a tree stump behind for support
• pedestal: two section form; lower section comprises recessed faces with small barley twist columns at each corner, recess continues above a shallow moulded cornice and is capped by a series of curvilinear inverted steps; upper section comprises recessed panels on faces, stop-chamfered corners, capped by a series of inverted steps which are arched over recessed panels
• WWI plaque: inscription reads “IN MEMORY OF SOLDIERS OF FINCH HATTON, NETHERDALE AND DISTRICTS WHO WERE KILLED IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919” above the names of 16 men from the district, in two columns, followed by “ERECTED BY THE RESIDENTS. 19TH NOVEMBER 1921”
• WWII plaque: inscription reads “IN MEMORY OF SOLDIERS OF FINCH-HATTON [sic] NETHERDALE & DISTRICTS WHO WERE KILLED IN WORLD WAR II” above the names of 7 men from the district, in two columns
• three-step base: square plan form; lower step with picked stone faces, margined and chiselled; middle step with diaper pattern on faces, margined and chiselled, with chamfered corners; upper step with smooth faces, chamfered corners, capped with cyma recta mouldings.

Features of Finch Hatton War Memorial not of state-level cultural heritage significance are:

• enclosure fabric, including: painted concrete border with low post and chain fence; and paving
• recent paint finishes (excluding early paint finishes)[i]
• recent concrete footing finish
• flagpole.

Note: The original finish of the stone monument is unknown; however, it was painted with khaki-coloured kalsomine (a lime-based paint/wash) by 1932. The date for the white paint scheme extant in 2021 is unknown. Mackay’s 1985 report, ‘Lest we forget’ recommended seeking advice on removal of the paint.

References

[1] Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Cultural Heritage Database and Register, Public Map, https://culturalheritage.datsip.qld.gov.au/achris/public/public-registry/home (accessed 18 March 2021).
[2] ‘Finch Hatton Railway Station’, QHR 600985; ‘Finch-Hatton line’, Mackay Mercury, 15 October 1904, p.3; C Moore, ‘Blackgin’s leap: a window into Aboriginal-European relations in the Pioneer Valley, Queensland in the 1860s’ (included pastoral lease maps, Pioneer Valley, 1863 and 1870), http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p72191/pdf/article038.pdf (accessed 18 March 2021).
[3] ‘Finch Hatton Railway Station’, QHR 600985; ‘Finch-Hatton line’, Mackay Mercury, 15 October 1904, p.3; ‘Finch Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 30 January 1913, p.6. In 1906, Hatton was renamed Pelion, however a few months later the name was changed to Finch Hatton. Eungella’s railway station was renamed Netherdale in 1913 (‘Mackay Railway Terminus’, Daily Mercury, 28 May 1913, p.7). By 1914, tourists began to access the Eungella Range area by travelling to Netherdale by rail and walking up the newly improved road to Eungella. In 1941, acknowledgement of the importance of the Eungella area led to the gazettal of Eungella National Park. The railway line from Kowari (just west of Finch Hatton) to Netherdale closed in 1977; and the section between Marian and Kowari closed in 1990 (JD Kerr, 1993. ‘Queensland Rail Heritage Report: Final Report’, Part 1, for the Department of Environment and Heritage and Queensland Rail, section 3, pp.50-1).
[4] Figures from: 'Enlistment statistics, First World War',  http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/enlistment/ww1/ (accessed 18 March 2021).
[5] ‘Woody Point Memorial Hall’, QHR 602828. British policy decreed that the Empire war dead were to be buried where they fell. The word 'cenotaph', commonly applied to war memorials at the time, literally means 'empty tomb'.
[6] KS Inglis, 1998. Sacred Places: War memorials in the Australian landscape. Miegunyah Press, Victoria, p.134.
[7] ‘Sports at Finch Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 2 February 1921, p.2 (cost of memorial); ‘District News: Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 20 April 1921, p.3 (do their bit); ‘Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 18 May 1921, p.2; ‘Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 9 June 1921, p.3. The horse races and grand ball on 3 June 1921, the final fund-raising event for the memorial, included people coming out on a special train from Mackay.
[8] ‘Woody Point Memorial Hall’, QHR 602828; Inglis, Sacred Places, pp. 161, 138-44, 352-362; ‘Queensland War Memorial Register’, https://www.qldwarmemorials.com.au/ (accessed 25 March 2020). In Queensland, the digger statue was the most popular choice of communities responsible for erecting the memorials, embodying the ANZAC myth and representing the qualities of the ideal Australian: loyalty, courage, youth, innocence and masculinity. The digger was a phenomenon peculiar to Queensland, perhaps due to the fact that other states had followed Britain's lead and established Advisory Boards made up of architects and artists, prior to the erection of war memorials. Digger statues were not used in Queensland after WWII, although there were some bronze sculptures.
[9] A 1921 advertisement for Melrose and Fenwick Limited, states their location was Cemetery Road, Mackay, with the Business Manger being J Nott (Daily Mercury, 30 March 1921, p.8)
[10] ‘District News, Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 3 November 1921, p.2.
[11] The monument was placed ‘by Messrs Nott … [illegible]… at Mackay for Melrose & Fenwick’. When placement of the memorial began, each local resident present moved a shovel of earth (‘District news: Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 15 November 1921, p.2). ‘District news: Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 19 November 1921, p.2. 
[12] J Mackay, ‘Lest we forget: a study of war memorials in Queensland, second report’, Report to the Returned Services League, Queensland Branch, July 1985, no page number. The monument was not the only tribute to local soldiers. On ANZAC Day 1917, an English chestnut tree (Castanea sp.) was planted at the west end of town on the north side of the main street (ANZAC Parade) as a memorial to the ANZACs – the first war memorial tree in the district (extant 2021); and by 1919 two memorial trees existed, while a third (a weeping fig, Ficus benjamina) was planted that year. Another tree was planted in the main street, in honour of local war nurses, in 1920. In 1921 the Finch Hatton Progress Association proposed planting eight memorial trees in the main street for ANZAC Day. A row of fig trees (Ficus sp.), planted along the shops on the north side of ANZAC Parade, was a landmark of the town during the 1930s-40s, but only one of the original figs survived by 2005; and this fell in a storm in 2020. It is unknown whether the avenue of mango trees (Mangifera indica) extant in 2021 on the south side of ANZAC Parade, to the east of the war memorial, was planted as part of the original avenue of honour; or just assumed this role as the fig trees died (‘ANZAC Day at Hatton’, Daily Mercury 28 April 1917, p.4 (chestnut tree planted); ‘ANZAC Day at Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 30 April 1919, p.6 (third memorial tree, a weeping fig, planted); ‘District Notes’, Daily Mercury, 28 April 1920, p.3 (nurses’ tree planted); ‘Hatton’, Daily Mercury 13 April 1921, p.3 (eight memorial trees proposed); Pers Comm, Wendy Sievers, Secretary Finch Hatton RSL Sub Branch, 12 April 2021 (chestnut tree planting; fig tree east of monument fell in 2020); ‘Register of non-indigenous cultural and heritage sites in the Mirani Shire’, Mirani Shire Council, 2005, pp.51-2 (line of fig trees planted along shops, one fig left). Two memorial trees had died by 1923 (‘Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 5 May 1923, p.2). In 1947 and 1953 a row of 5 large trees is visible near the monument on the north side of the main road: three to the west of the monument, and 2 to the east – but the three trees to the west had disappeared by 1988 (Department of Resources, aerial photographs SVY01915436, 1947; QAP0501073, 1953; and QAP4756030, 1988). Some sources refer to the mango and silky oak trees on the south side of the road, east of the monument, as an avenue of honour (‘Finch Hatton Avenue of Honour’, https://avenuesofhonour.org/places/queensland-1/finch-hatton/finch-hatton-avenue-of-honour/#post_profile, (accessed 22 March 2021); Mackay Regional Council Register of Significant trees’, 2012, https://avenuesofhonour.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/F-M.pdf (accessed 22 March 2021). According to local knowledge, the mango trees were planted after WWI by returned serviceman John Cook (Pers Comm, Wendy Sievers, Secretary Finch Hatton RSL Sub Branch, 12 April 2021). The mango trees – but not the silky oaks, which were planted post-1976 – were mature by 1947 (Resources, aerial photographs SVY01915436, 1947; and QAP3312457, 1976).
[13] ‘District news: Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 2 February 1929, p.9. Rose trees are standard roses.
[14] The early enclosure did not exist by 1996 (Department of Environment and Science images).
[15] ‘ANZAC Day at Hatton’, Daily Mercury, 30 April 1932, p.2. This article also reported a speech which noted: ‘to many the day remains an occasion of grief. A mother looks around her; her gaze falls on the face of one who returned, and she strives to see the face…and the very soul of her boy who failed to return. But there is no answering smile of recognition; no word of cheer, and struggling to overcome her emotions, she withdraws into herself – one of a great crowd of people, alone with her memories’.
[16] T and S McIvor, 1994. Salute the Brave – a Pictorial Record of Queensland War Memorials, Toowoomba, University of Southern Queensland Press, p.62 (image of memorial without surrounding enclosure); Department of Environment and Science images, 1996, 2004, 2009; Google Earth images 2002-2011.

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