Artist impression of the WW1 Memorial being built on the Olive Street Reserve.

Construction of a World War 1 Memorial to commemorate citizens of the Geraldton district who lost their lives in the war is set to begin on the Olive Street Reserve before the end of the month.

The WW1 Memorial, which was designed by Eastman Poletti Sherwood Architects in consultation with Geraldton RSL, is laid out from east to west to align with the position of the setting sun every year on 25 April ANZAC Day. The structure includes the names of those fallen during the war in a setting that represents a typical battle front scene featuring trees stripped bare of branches and a raised timber boardwalk above a muddy landscape.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the completion of the war memorial will see the City’s longest standing legacy project come to an end.

“In 1961, Frank Green Senior gifted land in Mahomets Flats to the City to be used for recreational purposes and at the time requested a memorial be created on the land that recognised his son Leonard T. Green and other citizens of the Geraldton district who lost their lives in active service in the First World War,” Mayor Van Styn explained.

“At a later date, the gifted land was needed to facilitate traffic management and Eldred Green, Leonard’s brother, agreed to exchange the land with the Olive Street Reserve.

“Now, 57 years after the original agreement was made, the Olive Street Reserve Remediation works were completed in 2017 and when the memorial is in place the bequest will be fulfilled.”

The estimated date of completion of the memorial project is June 2018.

For more information on the project, visit the City’s website www.cgg.wa.gov.au