Mount Macedon Memorial Cross

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Mount Macedon Memorial Cross
Christian Cross Mount Macedon.jpg
Mount Macedon Memorial Cross, 2016
Location405 Cameron Drive, Mount Macedon, Macedon Ranges Shire, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates 37°23′18″S144°34′34″E / 37.388440°S 144.576070°E / -37.388440; 144.576070 Coordinates: 37°23′18″S144°34′34″E / 37.388440°S 144.576070°E / -37.388440; 144.576070
Built1935
Built forWilliam Campbell
Official name: Macedon Cross
Typeheritage place
Designated1 September 1994
Reference no.H1027
Australia Victoria location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Mount Macedon Memorial Cross in Victoria

The Mount Macedon Memorial Cross is a heritage-listed war memorial at 405 Cameron Drive, Mount Macedon, Macedon Ranges Shire, Victoria, Australia. It is also known as the Cameron Memorial Cross. It was listed on the Victorian Heritage Register on 1 September 1994. [1]

War memorial Type of memorial

A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.

Mount Macedon, Victoria Town in Victoria, Australia

Mount Macedon is a small town 64 kilometres (40 mi) north-west of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. The town is located below the mountain of the same name, which rises to 1,001 metres (3,284 ft) AHD. At the 2016 census, Mount Macedon had a population of 1,335 and is best known for its collection of 19th-century gardens and associated extravagant large homes, which is considered to be one of the most important such collections in Australia.

Shire of Macedon Ranges Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Shire of Macedon Ranges is a region in Central Victoria, Australia, best known for its expansive native forests, iconic geographical attraction Hanging Rock, and thriving artisan food and wine industries. The region covers an area of 1,747 square kilometres (675 sq mi). It is located in between the cities of Bendigo and Melbourne. At the 2016 Census, had a population of 46,100. It includes the towns of Gisborne, Kyneton, Lancefield, Macedon, Malmsbury, Mount Macedon, New Gisborne, Riddells Creek, Romsey and Woodend.

Contents

History

The Mount Macedon Memorial Cross was planned and constructed for local land owner William Cameron. In addition to desiring to honour the war dead of World War I, Cameron wanted to create employment during the Great Depression. [2] On Saturday 16 March 1935, the Victorian Premier, Stanley Argyle, officially dedicated the memorial to the Australian service people killed in the First World War. Over 400 people attended the ceremony despite the bitter wind and rain. The monument cost £ 10,000 which was paid by William Cameron except for £ 200 contributed by Gisborne Shire Council. [3] [4]

World War I 1914–1918 global war starting in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, and initially in North America as the European War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the resulting 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

Great Depression in Australia

Australia suffered badly during the period of the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. As in other nations, Australia suffered years of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement.

Stanley Argyle Australian politician; Premier of Victoria

Sir Stanley Seymour Argyle KBE, Australian politician, was the 32nd Premier of Victoria.

Although it withstood lightning strikes and bushfires over the years, [3] eventually the cross's internal steel structure weakened and was assessed as being at risk of falling down. After a number of years of planning, in 1995 the monument was replaced with a visually identical replica but was constructed with solid reinforced concrete which is expected to be longer lasting. [2] [5]

Reinforced concrete composite building material

Reinforced concrete (RC) (also called reinforced cement concrete or RCC) is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are counteracted by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ductility. The reinforcement is usually, though not necessarily, steel reinforcing bars (rebar) and is usually embedded passively in the concrete before the concrete sets. Reinforcing schemes are generally designed to resist tensile stresses in particular regions of the concrete that might cause unacceptable cracking and/or structural failure. Modern reinforced concrete can contain varied reinforcing materials made of steel, polymers or alternate composite material in conjunction with rebar or not. Reinforced concrete may also be permanently stressed, so as to improve the behaviour of the final structure under working loads. In the United States, the most common methods of doing this are known as pre-tensioning and post-tensioning.

Description

The cross is in a reserve near the summit of Mount Macedon and is reached by a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) access road. [3] [4] The cross is 70 feet (21 m) high with a 14-foot (4.3 m) plinth and rests on a circular base 38 feet (12 m) in diameter. [4] [6] It is constructed of pale yellow Wunderlich terracotta tiles on a steel base. [3] [4] It can be seen from a great distance from the plains below the mountain. [4]

Wunderlich (panels) Australian brand of decorative metal panels used for pressed metal ceilings and other architectural elements

Wunderlich were a brand of decorative metal panels used for pressed metal ceilings and other architectural elements in Australia.

A tablet on the monument has the words: "To the glory of God and in memory of Australia's sons, 1914-1918. Death cannot rob them of their glory nor time efface the memory of their gallant deeds." [4]

Significance

The cross after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires War memorial at Mount Macedon after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires.jpg
The cross after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires

The Mount Macedon (Cameron) Memorial Cross is important for spiritual, symbolic cultural and social reasons. The Cross is important as a memorial for those who lost their lives in the First World War and became for many a symbol of courage and survival after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires. The war dead are commemorated at a dawn service held at the base of the cross on Anzac Day each year. [2] The size, simplicity of the design of the Cameron Memorial Cross, along with its siting on Mount Macedon, is a rare example of a memorial commemorating those who died in the First World War. It is able to demonstrate an association with an important event in Victoria's history, the First World War, and it demonstrates the use of particular material in the form of Wunderlich tiles which, because of their reflective nature, are able to enhance the simplicity and symbolism of the Cross, and enable it to be viewed from considerable distances. [3]

Ash Wednesday bushfires 1983 brushfires in Australia

The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia on 16 February 1983, which was Ash Wednesday in the Christian calendar. Within twelve hours, more than 180 fires fanned by winds of up to 110 km/h (68 mph) caused widespread destruction across the states of Victoria and South Australia. Years of severe drought and extreme weather combined to create one of Australia's worst fire days in a century. The fires became the deadliest bushfire in Australian history until the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.

Anzac Day National day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand on 25 April

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served". Observed on 25 April each year, Anzac Day was originally devised to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served in the Gallipoli Campaign, their first engagement in the First World War (1914–1918).

It is considered Victoria's most significant war memorial after the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. [6]

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References

  1. ↑ "Macedon Cross, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number HH1027, Heritage Overlay HOHO37". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Mount Macedon Memorial Cross". Top of the Range Mount Macedon. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Cameron Memorial Cross, Cameron Dr, Mount Macedon, VIC, Australia". Australian Heritage Database . Australian Government . Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "CROSS IN MEMORY OF SOLDIERS DEDICATION CEREMONY". The Argus (Melbourne) (27, 637). Victoria, Australia. 18 March 1935. p. 9. Retrieved 14 August 2018– via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ "Memorial Cross". Macedon and Mount Macedon Business and Tourism Association. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Mount Macedon Memorial Cross". Monument Australia. Retrieved 14 August 2018.

Attribution

This article contains material from Cameron Memorial Cross, Cameron Dr, Mount Macedon, VIC, Australia published in the Australian Heritage Database by the Australian Government under CC-BY-4.0 license accessed 14 August 2018.

Further reading

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