Soldier Settlers Memorial

When the Great War ended in 1918, many returning troops faced the uncertainty and dangers of coming home to no work or a place to live. Soldier working camps were established in Griffith, where over 1000 ex-servicemen worked to clear virgin scrub and prepare the land to be granted as irrigation farms. The Soldier Settlers Memorial commemorates these soldiers who settled in the district after World War I, as well as the sons of soldier settlers who died in service or were killed in action in World War II. The bronze statue, crafted by Griffith resident Charlie Beltrame, depicts a farmer in remnants of a World War I uniform, with one hand on a plough and the other handing a rifle to his son in World War II uniform, as the latter takes up arms for Australia as his father had before him. The Soldier Settlers Memorial is centrally located in the central business district on Banna Avenue, across from the post office.