Remembering service and sacrifice
Between 2014 and 2018, the centenary of the First World War prompted several commissions for war memorial signage. Each project focused on recognition, remembrance and storytelling. These signs ensure that the names and stories of those who served — and those who died — continue to live on.
Sister Janet (Jenny) Kerr memorial sign
We designed and delivered this sign to honour Australian nurses who cared for others under the harshest wartime conditions.
Sister Janet “Jenny” Kerr, a local from Woodstock NSW, was killed on Banka Island during the Second World War. The sign now stands in Jenny Kerr Memorial Park at Woodstock, where it shares her story with the community.
On 12 February 1942, Kerr and 65 other nurses evacuated Singapore aboard the Vyner Brooke. Two days later, Japanese aircraft attacked the ship in the Banka Strait. It sank within 30 minutes.
Although the nurses survived the bombing, many drowned or were killed when planes returned to strafe survivors in the water. After hours — some up to 65 — spent clinging to wreckage, 53 exhausted nurses reached shore. On Banka Island, Japanese soldiers massacred one group of survivors.
A story that survived
Vivian Bullwinkel was the only survivor of the Banka Island massacre. Wounded by a bullet, she lay still and pretended to be dead until the soldiers left.
She then hid with a wounded British soldier for 12 days before surrendering. Bullwinkel spent three and a half years in captivity. Of the 65 nurses aboard the Vyner Brooke, only 24 survived the war.
Her testimony ensured that the story of Banka Island would never be forgotten.
Walli war memorial sign
The Walli Hall began in 1923 as a memorial to local servicemen and women. It also served as a gathering place for the district community.
Over time, the hall moved with the community. In 1956 it relocated to Woodstock village. In 1982 it moved again to the Woodstock showground, where it now operates as the main pavilion on show day.
The Walli Memorial Trust progressed this signage project as part of a heritage grant program, with partial funding from Cowra Council.
