Technical Education (TAFE) memorials
The original memorial (World War I and II)
Planning for a memorial to commemorate staff and students from technical education institutions throughout New South Wales can be identified as far back as 1947. At the instigation of the Sydney Technical College (STC) Sub-Branch of the Returned Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen’s Imperial League of Australia (RSS&AILA) and with the enthusiastic support of the College Principal, Dr R K Murphy, in that year Sydney Technical College District Council “…approved a draft layout for a memorial at the Harris Street entrance to the College.”
The main elements of the design were two bronze plaques commemorating ex-service personnel from World Wars I and II, and two flagpoles set in bronze bases. The college was considered to be the most appropriate location as it was the base for Head Office.
Owing to the difficulty in compiling a complete list of names of ex-service personnel, the plaques were to state “To those who served 1914-1918” and “To those who served 1939-1945.”
Some of the names were published in The Technical Gazette of New South Wales, Vol 8, No 2 pp 96-100 and the New South Wales Public Service Honour Roll, 1946. These are listed in Appendices I and J.
The beautiful memorial, designed and constructed by STC students and staff, ultimately carried the above inscriptions along with the words “Lest We Forget” under each. The project was not completed until 1954, possibly because of the shortage of building materials.
It is not clear how the memorial was finally financed or how much it cost. Documentation from 1947 suggests that there were plans to fund it by subscription, and that it would cost about 100 pounds. Ultimately, it appears to have been funded from Departmental Head Office sources.
The official unveiling of the Sydney Technical College War Memorial by His Excellency the Governor of NSW, Lieutenant-General Sir John Northcott, fittingly took place on 10 November 1954, the day before Remembrance Day. Members of the STC Sub-Branch, RSS&AILA, and all ex-service personnel of the Department of Technical Education and the NSW University of Technology had been invited to the ceremony, and there were hundreds of returned men and women present.
The Minister for Education, the Hon. R J Heffron MLA, who introduced the Governor, paid tribute to the staff and students who served in both World Wars and to the work of STC in carrying out crucially important training programs such as the Defence Training Scheme.
During his speech prior to the unveiling, Sir John Northcott referred to STC’s efforts in both the World Wars and in Korea, and to “…the groundwork of technical education…given to the three services.” He especially paid tribute to those who had served, and exhorted everyone to “ever remember…[them].”
Mr R K Fletcher, the then President of the STC Sub-Branch also spoke and said of the unveiling: “This ceremony is primarily one in honour of those men and women from the Department of Technical Education who served their country during these two great World Wars, and in doing so, made the supreme sacrifice….”
This memorial remained at the Harris Street entrance until about 1973 when it had to be demolished to allow for the construction of an Institute building on the corner of Harris and Thomas Streets.