Historical information
In recognition of its fallen soldiers and Churchill's 50th birthday a service memorial was erected on a concrete plinth at the Churchill town plaza and used for the first time to mark the ANZAC centenary on Anzac Day 2015.
Churchill never had a war memorial and received a grant from the Department of Veterans' Affairs six years ago to commission a sculpture with Latrobe City Council's support. It was decided the sculpture needed to recognise more than just the war effort, but service and volunteerism, considering Churchill was only founded in 1965. (http://www.latrobevalleyexpress.com.au/story/2816903/churchills-new-memorial/, accessed 01 may 2015)
Sculptor Paul Jesse discussed the work in Churchill and District Community news, 18 December 2014:
Some time ago CDCA commissioned a sculpture to be used as a Service Memorial to commemorate the fallen that have died in service of our community and country. Traditional memorials usually commemorate Armed Services personnel, but CDCA was of the opinion that a more inclusive view which included Emergency Services personnel, such as CFA, SES and Police, could be incorporated into the Churchill Memorial.
Boolarra artist, Paul Jesse, who is accomplished in Ferro-Cement sculpture techniques, was commissioned to create a memorial that would cause people to reflect on the meaning of ‘service’ and ‘sacrifice’.
The following is a description of the Churchill Service Memorial Sculpture written by the sculptor, Paul Jesse.
“My sculpture is different from most War Memorial sculptures because it uses as its basis the reasons why people go into service or to war. One side of the sculpture is colourful and optimistic; its theme is home, family, community and the future. These themes are crafted by flow lines which are connected to the other side of the sculpture through the round hole and the Crosspiece. These lines can be seen as a multi-layered connection between the sides. On the “dark” side of the sculpture, the lines begin with a spiral of coloured mosaics. This spiral is representative of our service people. Its beginning can be seen on one level as their soul. The spiralling mosaics of them flow to the other side of the sculpture where they create the landscape and figures. These lines can also be seen as a range of connectors between the two sides, representing a flow of thoughts, love, fear, concern
and dreams. They also represent physical communication such as letters and phone calls.”
This ‘Service Memorial’ is located in the Churchill Plaza (adjacent to the Town Hall), along with four flagpoles, seating and garden beds.
The Churchill Service Memorial has deliberately been designed as a thought-provoking public art work. It will complement the Art and Culture Pathway which links Switchback Gallery at the Federation University Campus to the Town Centre. We hope Churchill citizens will pause to view the Memorial, ponder its meaning, reflect on the service of others and commemorate the fallen.
Physical description
Colour photograph on an abstract Australia-shaped sculpture by Boolarra artist Paul Jesse. The abstract Australia-shaped sculpture is in stark contrast to the bronze-cast "fallen mate" or concrete cenotaph seen in many country towns.
The photograph includes wreaths from the ANZAC centenary service on ANZAC Day 2015.
