Before it was declared that Australia was going to war, opposition leader Andrew Fisher was in Colac giving a speech as part of his election campaign. It was here he famously declared that "should the worst happen, after everything has been done that honour will permit, Australians will stand beside the mother country to help and defend her to our last man and our last shilling". Four days later we were at war.
After the war, the Colac residents wanted a memorial to commemorate the fallen brave men and women who enlisted from the Colac Shire.
At just over 15 metres in height, it was constructed from limestone with a bluestone base at a cost of £3600, and lined internally with marble slabs on which are inscribed the names of 1665 people who enlisted from the district. Those who never came home are inscribed in gold. At the top of the memorial is the torch of victory rising from the bowl. The bowl has 4 sculptured heads of Mars, the God of War depicting the four point of the compass.
At the same time the whole area of the square was beautified with paths and the planting of Elm trees and named as the Memorial Square.
It was unveiled on the 15th November 1924.
In 1936 the Colac Shire council placed a plaque of the late King George’s head in the memorial, as a mark of respect for those who fought under his name and command.
The memorial to those who served in WW2 and Korean War was constructed as a separate entity. A low wall and two tall columns facing a pool of remembrance was built. This section was opened on the 3rd August 1957 by Lt. Governor Sir Edmund Herring. The pool has since been filled in and now is a rose garden.
Another addition to the commemorative function of the area was the planting of a Lone Pine from Gallipoli in 1966. In 1973 a fountain was erected to enhance the approach to the monument.
Logging Requirements
To log this cache, please send us the answers to the following questions:
1. At GZ you’ll be standing next to a plaque on a rock. What is the fifth word on the fifth line?
Now head over to the War Memorial (WP1)
2. There are 3 layers of the bluestone foundations. How many large rough cut bluestones in the middle row are there?
3. There is a phone number on the gate to the memorial, what is the number?
4 Include a photo of yourself or your team name with the war memorial in the background. Add this image to your log.
If you do not send your answers within 10 days of logging your log will be deleted. This is to ensure the game is played in the true spirit.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.