Every now and then, a story comes across our screens that ticks every box of class, skill, dedication and humanity. This one involved Cunneen Signs of Holroyd, NSW near Parramatta and a missing Honour Roll Plaque of WW1 Australian soldiers.
(L-R) Cunneen Signs' Ben Wilmshurst, Ian and Dorothy Vallentine (relatives of war veterans named on the honour rolls) standing on either side of Ku-ring-gai Mayor Christine Kay, and war veterans Mike Askey & John Holford, at the unveiling of the replacement plaque of honour at Turramurra Memorial Park
In July 2024, one of the WW1 honour rolls at the Turramurra War Memorial Park, Sydney, was stolen. Turramurra is about 23km north of Sydney CBD.
Cunneen Signs installers at work replacing the plaque
When the original honour roll was produced almost 100 years ago, a hand cut woodblock master pattern would have been made to create the sand mould used for the casting process.
In order to ensure accurate replication of the original font as closely as possible, a custom-drawn font was created from the lettering style on the remaining honour roll. From these drawings the new pattern lettering was cut and hand assembled to make a master casting pattern.
Overseen by Cunneen Project Manager, Gerard Whelan, this older style, labour intensive type of pattern ensured that the new casting would match the original manufacturing process as closely as possible.
Replicating the original font at CuneenCast in bronze using the time-honoured sand moulding process at the foundry section of Cunneen Signs' Holroyd, NSW factory, this large honour roll was hand-patina'd and aged to closely match the existing honour roll. The replica measures 2.1m tall by 60cm wide, weighs 120kg and contains the names of 67 local First World War soldiers, including seven who died serving their country
It has now been installed back into the original location on site and supported in place using concealed large diameter pins and modern two-part epoxy adhesive, the replacement honour roll has been painstakingly crafted, using techniques similar to that almost 100 years ago to produce a high-quality memorial plaque that will serve the community for hundreds of years to come.
The theft remains unsolved but someone out there knows the low-lifes who stole it where the precious original plaque is - or was, if the horrible prospect of melting it down has happened. Anyone who has information about the theft is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Hornsby Police. Incredibly, other stolen public plaques have been found but are not linked to the Turramurra theft.
Great work by Cunneen Signs and Ku-ring-gai council.
