Unsafe statue a casualty of time

THE Boer War memorial in Sturt Street, which has stood for more than one hundred and fifteen years, is set to be replaced.

The announcement was made by the City of Ballarat last week following an assessment of the statue and plinth which revealed the foundations are beyond repair.

The replacement statue will be bronze and look almost identical to the original.

“The memorial, which is a much-photographed homage, has pride of place in the heart of Sturt Street and is of historical and aesthetic significance to Ballarat,” said mayor Cr Des Hudson.

“Unfortunately, further restoration of the memorial was not possible as it was only going to continue degrading internally.”

The sculpture was first unveiled in 1906 to commemorate locals who took part in the Boer War between 1899 to 1902 in what is now South Africa.

The memorial was last removed for restoration in 1984 and in 2019 a second removal was postponed due to the fragility of the statue.

In 2020 some remedial works took place on site.

The piece is by sculptor James White and is of a soldier on horseback recusing another soldier and is made from beaten copper wrapped around a hessian and plaster core.

Other James White sculptures around Australia have had similar issues and been replaced with bronze replicas.

“It is vital that the replacement statue can be constructed to as similar likeness as possible to ensure it remains an integral monument in the heart of Ballarat,” said Cr Hudson.

“Bravery and mateship are beautifully captured in the memorial and these are values that we continue to cherish.”

The project is set to cost $285,000 with $50,000 being provided by the State Government.