Content components For nearly a century, the war memorial in St James Park has stood as a place of reflection and remembrance. From late 2025 to early 2026, we carefully restored this landmark to ensure its stories continue to be honoured, preserving a place where history and community come together for future generations. Why it was restored The memorial was built in March 1929. Because of its age and condition, the cenotaph required repairs to continue supporting commemorative services run by the Hawthorn RSL. Their members also asked for the memorial to be updated to represent veterans who served in more recent conflicts. They worked closely with us on the restoration.The memorial originally honoured those who served in:WWIWWIIKoreaMalayaBorneoVietnam.As part of the restoration, the memorial has been updated to include more recent conflicts in which Australian forces have served, including:CambodiaSomaliaRwandaEast Timor AfghanistanIraq.This work is part of the St James Park Master Plan and funded through the 2024–25 Council Budget, with support from the Victorian and Australian Governments. Status Restoration works started in early September 2025 and were completed in December 2025. Works included: resurfacing and replacing weathered stonereapplying gold paint to the letteringfixing damaged elements including the eternal flameadding the new theatres of war to the main structureinstalling power to support Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and other commemorative eventsinstalling a permanent plaqueinstalling 3 flagpoles near the war memorial to support commemorative services.The flagpoles will fly the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags on significant dates.TimelineThis restoration was delivered in stages.StageTimeInformationStatusStage 1 - Investigation, planning and designJuly 2024Specialist consultants inspected the cenotaph and developed a condition report.This report guided what work needs to be carried out to renew and repair the cenotaph.CompleteStage 2 - Cenotaph works startEarly September to December 2025Contractors carefully worked on bringing the memorial back to its former self.CompleteStage 3 - Plaque and seat installationEarly to mid March 2026We’re installing 3 flagpoles near the war memorial and a permanent plaque to support commemorative events.CompleteMore informationTo stay up to date about this project and others being delivered from the master plan, visit our St James Park master plan page. If you have any questions about this project, please contact our Civil Projects team on (03) 9278 4444 or at [email protected]
