Lakes Entrance WW1 Memorial Sculptures

The six World War 1 Memorial Sculptures are located along the Esplanade in Lakes Entrance Victoria Australia. They are carved from the original Cypress trees that were planted as an Avenue of Honour for the servicemen that gave their life in World War 1. In 1924 a memorial Avenue of Honour, consisting of twenty-six Monterey Cypress trees, was planted in Lakes Entrance to honour those servicemen from the district who lost their lives during the First World War. Each tree represented a life lost.  

Seventy years after the planting the trees became old and limbs started dropping and they became a safety hazard. Rather than simply remove the trees, it was decided to commission local chainsaw artist John Brady to carve these sculptures from the trunks of these trees.

The Sculptures

The sculptures represent a World War One soldier, a wounded soldier with a donkey, a World War One nurse, Simpson helping two wounded soldiers and a family waiting for their father. The sixth, represents a sea captain, commemorating the loss of ships and lives at Lakes Entrance.

Lakes Entrance Avenue of Honour WWI Memorial Statues were rededicated on May 1, 1999, recognizing their importance as a community memorial.

They now stand as a permanent reminder of the sacrifice made by these brave local young men. The sculptures serve a dual purpose – honouring the original Avenue of Honour while preserving the memory of local servicemen in a new, enduring form.

The memorial is also complemented by a separate traditional war memorial in Lakes Entrance that lists the names of 26 residents who died in service or were killed in action during World War One.

These sculptures represent an innovative approach to war memorial preservation, transforming aging memorial trees into permanent artistic tributes that continue to honour the memory of those who served and died in World War I.

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