Tree Stump, Sculpture, at lakes Entrance.

Tree Stump, Sculpture, at lakes Entrance. 04/10/2010

Lakes Entrance Avenue of Honour
WWI Memorial Statues

'In 1924 an avenue of Monterey Cypress trees was planted along the Esplanade to commemorate the 26 local men who lost their lives during World War I. Over the years the odd tree had been removed for various reasons and in 1997 the East Gippsland Shire Council, unaware of their original significance, planned to remove the remainder. Their decision caused considerable controversy within the 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.

Brady carved the stump of one tree into a sea captain to reflect the community's early pioneers and to commemorate the loss of ships and lives at Lakes Entrance. The sculpture proved so popular that it was decided to utilize the other tree stumps in the same way and local businesses sponsored the carving of the five other stumps which represent a World War I soldier, a wounded soldier with a donkey, a World War I nurse, Simpson* helping two wounded soldiers and a family waiting for Dad. The sculptures are waxed and oiled constantly to preserve the wood.'

The Avenue of Honour and the WWI Memorial Statues were rededicated on 1 May 1999 by Peter McGauran, Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation.

The sculptures shown here

Inscriptions carved on tree sculptures
Mariner
CARVED BY
              JOHN BRADY
             NOV 1998

Family
WAITING FOR DAD
CARVED BY JOHN BRADY
             FEB 1999

A comment from a tourist viewing the sculpture of the family was that ‘back then women were concerned that they would lose their children to childhood illness, or die in childbirth themselves, they never needed to concern themselves, about dieting or diet pill side effects, they had real life and death situations to be concerned about and how much easier it is today when men and women are concerned about management of life’s excesses.' She had a good point. We are fortunate in that it is the poor management of an affluent lifestyle that is now one of our greatest risks, a luxury that the everyday man or woman of the era depicted in these sculptures, would not have known.

Soldier
WWI
SOLDIER
by
JOHN BRADY
MAY
1998