Time now stands still but years ago, the Cairns' war memorial kept the far northern city's population punctual. The clock tower on which a soldier statue stands-unique in Queensland-was unveiled on ANZAC Day 1926, 15 months after the foundation stone was laid, at the intersection of Abbott and Shield streets.
Costing £2,074, it was the most expensive of soldier statues and the third most costly WWI memorial in Queensland, satisfying not only a desire for a substantial memorial that grabbed public attention but also a long-felt need for a public clock.
Marble honour rolls bear 142 locals' names from WWI, including two women.
The memorial was relocated in 1972, to The Esplanade, fronting Trinity Bay, opposite the Cairns RSL. At that time, the clock faces were replaced by painted replicas, each set at 4.28, when the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli commenced on the morning of 25 April 1915.
A 1940 field gun and an 1887 naval gun now flank the 10.27 metre high memorial....
