Ganmain District War Memorial Park and Memorials

The Ganmain District War Memorial Park is located on Waterview Street. At the entrance is a sandstone gateway arch, bearing a roll of honour for the First and Second World Wars, Korea and Vietnam. On the left hand-side of the park is a memorial rose garden, dedicated to those who have served and to the fallen. Two low plinths bear plaques for the garden. In front of the garden is a bushrock memorial with a plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. To the rear of the arch is a memorial gun.

In February 1919, a public meeting was held to consider the erection of a war memorial in the town and a subscription list was opened (Australian Town and Country Journal, 19 February 1919). A referendum was held in 1921 and the Daily Express, 5 July 1921 reported that 18 votes determined that the memorial would be a fenced park, with a monument to be erected near the corner of Ford and Waterview Streets. Action was taken to raise funds through a number of athletic events and horse races. 

W.J. Monks, Jeffs and Shaw of Wagga were appointed as honorary architects and by 1923, the government had accepted their design for the memorial gates. In August 1923, the memorial committee accepted a tender of 600 pounds (The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 August 1923). On 21 August 1923, The Narandera Argus reported the lowest tender of 295 pounds 10 shillings from Watkins Bros., monumental masons of Narandera, was accepted.

The Sydney Mail, 30 July 1924, published a photograph of the memorial bearing the names of those who enlisted in the war and noted that the memorial was unveiled by Major-General Cox.

The foundations of the gates were undermined by floods, requiring the gates and a captured German Gun to be relocated to their present position outside the Ganmain Bowling Club in Waterview Street in 1931.