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HERITAGE NOOSA
HERITAGE NOOSA
Tewantin War Memorial
ABOUT THIS ITEM
Alternative NameTewantin Soldiers' MemorialAdditional Information
In January 1921 the Noosa Shire Council considered a letter from the Tewantin Soldiers’ Memorial Committee requesting permission to erect a memorial on the street in front of the Post Office and to enclose the fig tree growing at this spot. The suggestion was rejected. The following month the committee sent a deputation consisting of the local Member of the Legislative Assembly, Harry F. Walker, and Mr J. Donovan. Walker explained that their primary concern was the erection of the proposed memorial and the matter of fencing was merely one they thought would be useful to Council. This time permission was granted.
Fundraising was commenced. The Cooroy Sub-Branch of the R.S.S.I.L.A. hosted a sports day at Tewantin on Easter Saturday to raise funds for the planned memorials in both Cooroy and Tewantin. The competitions consisted of athletics, open hunt, maiden trot and other events. Harry Walker donated a horse to be sold with the proceeds to be added to the funds, and Mr D. Clugston donated £2/2.
Tewantin’s War Memorial was unveiled by Colonel David E. Reid D.S.O. in January 1922 in honour of those who served. [10] It bore a life-size statue of a Light Horseman in full uniform with rifle, standing at ease upon a plinth bearing crossed, painted flags of the United Kingdom and Australia. The front marble tablet listed the names of the fallen - six local men. Each flank bore the names of the men who enlisted. The small township had raised £350 to erect the monument.
Following the Second World War, the names of eight local men who fell in that conflict were added to a marble tablet on the rear side of the memorial. In 1987 the Tewantin-Noosa R.S.L. erected an additional brass plaque on the Tewantin Memorial stating: This plaque stands in recognition of those who served in the Korean, Malayan, South-East Asian and Vietnam campaigns.
Over the years the memorial has been the victim of vandalism on multiple occasions. Following one such incident, Council received a letter from R.S.L. Australia in February 1981 requesting the installation of lights near the memorial to ‘minimise the likelihood of further acts of wilful destruction of the monument’.[11] They suggested that this would also help prevent the constant thieving of the nearby flagpole ropes.
In 1991, the silent soldier’s sandstone rifle was damaged and stolen. The Council and the R.S.L. agreed to meet the costs of replacement.
The Engineer’s report at the Council meeting in September 1955 sought views on shifting the War Memorial in Tewantin. The monument was inspected and at the following Council meeting it was suggested a public meeting be held on the matter. The memorial remained below the fig tree. Discussion regarding re-siting of the memorial began at the end of 1993. In February 2000 the memorial was relocated to the centre of the Poinciana Avenue, near the intersection of Memorial Avenue and Diyan Street.
10. The exact date is unknown but it may have been January 26th - Australia Day. D.S.O. was a British military medal: Distinguished Service Order.
11. Minutes of the ordinary monthly meeting of Noosa Shire Council, 18th February 1981, p.60.
Heritage ListedNoosa Local Heritage Register
In January 1921 the Noosa Shire Council considered a letter from the Tewantin Soldiers’ Memorial Committee requesting permission to erect a memorial on the street in front of the Post Office and to enclose the fig tree growing at this spot. The suggestion was rejected. The following month the committee sent a deputation consisting of the local Member of the Legislative Assembly, Harry F. Walker, and Mr J. Donovan. Walker explained that their primary concern was the erection of the proposed memorial and the matter of fencing was merely one they thought would be useful to Council. This time permission was granted.
Fundraising was commenced. The Cooroy Sub-Branch of the R.S.S.I.L.A. hosted a sports day at Tewantin on Easter Saturday to raise funds for the planned memorials in both Cooroy and Tewantin. The competitions consisted of athletics, open hunt, maiden trot and other events. Harry Walker donated a horse to be sold with the proceeds to be added to the funds, and Mr D. Clugston donated £2/2.
Tewantin’s War Memorial was unveiled by Colonel David E. Reid D.S.O. in January 1922 in honour of those who served. [10] It bore a life-size statue of a Light Horseman in full uniform with rifle, standing at ease upon a plinth bearing crossed, painted flags of the United Kingdom and Australia. The front marble tablet listed the names of the fallen - six local men. Each flank bore the names of the men who enlisted. The small township had raised £350 to erect the monument.
Following the Second World War, the names of eight local men who fell in that conflict were added to a marble tablet on the rear side of the memorial. In 1987 the Tewantin-Noosa R.S.L. erected an additional brass plaque on the Tewantin Memorial stating: This plaque stands in recognition of those who served in the Korean, Malayan, South-East Asian and Vietnam campaigns.
Over the years the memorial has been the victim of vandalism on multiple occasions. Following one such incident, Council received a letter from R.S.L. Australia in February 1981 requesting the installation of lights near the memorial to ‘minimise the likelihood of further acts of wilful destruction of the monument’.[11] They suggested that this would also help prevent the constant thieving of the nearby flagpole ropes.
In 1991, the silent soldier’s sandstone rifle was damaged and stolen. The Council and the R.S.L. agreed to meet the costs of replacement.
The Engineer’s report at the Council meeting in September 1955 sought views on shifting the War Memorial in Tewantin. The monument was inspected and at the following Council meeting it was suggested a public meeting be held on the matter. The memorial remained below the fig tree. Discussion regarding re-siting of the memorial began at the end of 1993. In February 2000 the memorial was relocated to the centre of the Poinciana Avenue, near the intersection of Memorial Avenue and Diyan Street.
10. The exact date is unknown but it may have been January 26th - Australia Day. D.S.O. was a British military medal: Distinguished Service Order.
11. Minutes of the ordinary monthly meeting of Noosa Shire Council, 18th February 1981, p.60.
Heritage ListedNoosa Local Heritage Register
IDENTIFIERS
CONNECTIONS
LocalityTewantin
ADMIN
AcknowledgementsSourced from Noosa Remembers: A History of World War I memorials of Noosa Shire
Profile image courtesy of Noosa Shire Museum.
Profile image courtesy of Noosa Shire Museum.
Tewantin War Memorial. Heritage Noosa, accessed 15/08/2026, https://heritage.noosa.qld.gov.au/nodes/view/4505
