We are so lucky here in Ballarat to have a city full of beautiful statues, memorials & architecture. I don't think I appreciated it all as a child growing up here, I think I just took it all for granted & never really gave it a thought. However, if I look around me now I can see the beauty that is the history of my city.
The statue of Pompey Elliott, Ballarat, Victoria
Yesterday, Jeremy & I were invited to the unveiling of a fabulous new statue for Ballarat, created to honour a generally unknown Australian war hero, Pompey Elliott. The ceremony took place on a cold, crisp, sunny Ballarat morning & it was quite an emotional experience to learn about the life of a soldier, who contributed enormously to the safety of Australia, & yet who appears to be largely forgotten. This I find rather sad, as I do his death. I wonder how much the circumstances of his death contributed to him being "forgotten" by the media of the time?
The Ballarat CenotaphThe Ballarat Cenotaph is also extremely beautiful, & each ANZAC Day it is surrounded by hundreds of Ballarat residents to honour the war dead during the moving Dawn Service. I do think that each year the crowds grow slightly bigger & it amazes me to see an ever growing number of children & young adults attending. I always cry during the Service, I see so many others doing the same & it gladdens my heart that we will remember them & support those who still fight for us to be free now.
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Oh, I walk past this statue so often, and have often wondered about the story of the man. Thank you for sharing....how interesting! A very interesting choice to be immortalised like this.
ReplyDeleteANZAC Day seems to grow and grow in recent years, doesn't it!? It's amazing, and so heartwarming! I was at that Dawn Service in Ballarat last year.
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