The story behind the Seymour Memorial Hospital Gates highlights how much community members are willing to give for something important to them.
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Contributed
After almost 100 years, several relocations and multiple refurbishments, the Seymour Memorial Hospital Gates remain a pillar of the town’s commemoration practices.
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First erected in 1927 following 10 years of planning, the gates were constructed by returned soldiers to honour those from the region who served in World War I.
When the Seymour Memorial Hospital, known also as Seymour Health, moved to its current location on Bretonneux St in 1959, the gates were moved.
Thirty-five years later, they moved for the last time; however, that wasn’t the end of the upgrades to this significant Seymour monument.
The Seymour RSL sub-branch was responsible for a number of updates to the gates and the area surrounding them.
In 2004, the names etched in the granite pillars were refurbished; in 2012, the gates themselves were re-galvanised; and in 2013, lights were fitted to replicate the original monument.
Unveiled in 2016, the World War I Memorial Park past the gates was the result of significant community involvement.
St Mary's students gathered in front of the Seymour Hospital memorial gates after laying the wreath at the 2025 Anzac Day dawn service.
Photo by
Wayne Herring
“We had a hell of a lot of support from the local people,” Seymour RSL sub-branch member John Phoenix said.
“We had a lot of local volunteers help to clear the land, it was mainly physical work.”
For decades, the site has been a place of honouring veterans from Seymour and beyond.
It has historically served as the location of Seymour’s Anzac Day dawn service, and, as a result of its central location, acts as an accessible space of remembrance.
The local community has been heavily involved the upkeep of the gates since they were unveiled.
Both Mr Phoenix and fellow Seymour RSL sub-branch member John Blackwell said this maintenance was vital.
“I believe those memorials reflect on the people who paid the ultimate sacrifice to give us the freedom we’ve got today,” Mr Blackwell said.
“Any memorial, to me, has to be maintained for ever, you can’t just build a memorial and walk away from it,” Mr Phoenix said.
Carolynne Burgess-Blackwell, who also has significant involvement in the maintenance of the memorial, said the gates and park surrounding them were an important aspect of the town’s history.
“It’s so lovely to have all those little pieces of history about so many locals,” Mr Burgess-Blackwell said.
“You start reading it and see all of the different things that happened to people, those sad things and really amazing and brave things.
“It’s a bit of an eye-opener on what a regular person can achieve when they’re thrown into a battle zone.”
For those involved in the countless upgrades over the years, the gates are not just a symbol of remembrance, but also one of achievement.
Mr Phoenix said it was gratifying to view the Memorial Park surrounding the gates.
“Building a memorial from scratch, you just look back and think ‘damn, it was worth every bit of sweat that you put into it’,” Mr Phoenix said.
“The car park before was just absolutely disgusting and it was overgrown, but you look at it now and it’s just awe-inspiring.
“Everyone who sees it, loves it.”
With funding cuts to the hospital, the majority of the upkeep has been placed in the hands of members of the Seymour RSL sub-branch, who themselves are proud to tend to the area.
“It’s a beautiful entrance to the hospital,” Ms Burgess-Blackwell said.
“We deliberately designed it as a restful, friendly and peaceful entry to the hospital.”
“We think we did a brilliant job,” Mr Phoenix said.
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