WWI memorials like that in the north Queensland sugar town of Sarina speak volumes of community pride and patriotism. Their soldier statue was erected for the 1919 ANZAC Day ceremonies, paid for through public subscription. It specifically says that it is a 'commemoration' of Sarina Shire residents who enlisted: 114 men.
The outpouring of grief that came with 60,000 Australian deaths on the other side of the world, and buried overseas, was publicly expressed through memorials. The soldier statue, as in Sarina, was Queensland's preferred choice.
Sarina's soldier, crafted by Townsville monumental masons Melrose and Fenwick, stands head slightly bowed, hands crossed over a reversed rifle, resting on his left boot.
He stands on a pedestal which bears a marble plaque and 24 names, the locals who died in WWI. Similar plaques have been added to honour those who fought in subsequent conflicts: WWII, Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam.
Sarina's war memorial is found in a central median strip, where two major regional roads meet, the Bruce Highway and the Marlborough Sarina Road.
