MEMORIAL TO ANZACS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29535, 9 June 1961, Page 15

MEMORIAL TO ANZACS

Reconstruction At Albany It was expected that it would be 18 months to two years before the Anzac memorial at Albany, Western Australia, was completely rebuilt, said Mr G. Cox, of Christchurch, who has just returned from a visit to Australia. The.memorial was formerly at Port Said as a memorial to Australian and New Zealand soldiers who lost their lives in the 1914-18 war. It was damaged during the Suez riots in 1958. In October, 1959, the United Arab Republic agreed, as a result of Australian and New Zealand Government representations, to the memorial being dismantled and shipped to Australia. It was decided to reerect it at Albany because so many Australian and New Zealand troons left from there for World War I. Mr Cox wept to see the memorial when he was at Albany. He said the plinth and accompanying concrete blocks had been re-erected as they originally were, but the bronze figures of horses and horsemen had not been replaced. The legs of the horses were sawn through by Egyptians during the Suez crisis. It had been found impossible to repair the horses, so an Italian firm, founded about 400 years ago and specialising in this class of work, was going to recast the two horses. It was considered it was the best firm in the world to do the work He felt reasonably certain that the Prime Minister of Australia would unveil the memorial when it was rededicated and no doubt New Zealand would send a Cabinet Minister to head the representation of this country, said Mr Cox. The memorial was on the highest point overlooking Albany Harbour. It was a splendid site for such a memorial, said Mr Cox.