Two larger than life figures have been seen at the front of the Gunbower Soldiers Memorial Hall and are attracting a lot of attention.
The figures are painted silhouettes depicting a World War I soldier and a World War II nurse and hang either side of the entrance to the Gunbower Soldiers Memorial Hall – not to be missed as you approach the building or drive by.
Following the closure of the Gunbower RSL Sub-Branch due to lack of numbers, surplus branch money was gifted to the neighbouring Cohuna/Leitchville RSL Sub-Branch with the stipulation that it be used for the Gunbower community.
In consultation with the Gunbower Memorial Hall Committee, it was agreed to have a mural painted on the outside of the hall, however, heritage restrictions stymied that idea. Instead, two murals were painted on freestanding boards affixed either side of the entrance.
Local artist Abby Smith was engaged to paint the murals which depict the nurse and soldier in striking black and white on a bright orange background symbolic of the sunset.
“I think the sunset is a great symbol for starting new and moving forward, like from a post-war perspective,” said Abby.
“I designed the characters to be looking slightly downward as if to commemorate those lost due to war in a way we do during our moment of silence. So, the sunset complements this in the way that ‘at the going down of the sun, we will remember them’ does.”
The murals will remain a permanent fixture.
This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 5 December 2024.
