In the park between the Coopernook School of Arts, and a small playground is a 3 metre tall sandstone obelisk with white marble tablets for those that served in 'the Great War' and World War Two. There is also a bronze plaque for Multi-Conflicts.
World War One - the Great War
On the Macquarie Street side (NW) of the obelisk are three white marble plaques, with the top one for those locals who died in World War One, reading:
[Rising Sun]
For God, King, & Empire
Killed
Anthony H.
Bailey A. E.
Eggins A. J.
Heath S. W.
Heath J. McL.
Jensen H. E.
Jensen T. N.
Klumpp C. J.
Klumpp L. H MM
Muir A. R.
Newton K. R.
Thompson C. J.
Tidswell C. J.
Webster A. H.
Below that is a sculptured representation of a wreath.
The next plaque down, is a broad white marble tablet, that reads:
In Honour of the men of this
District who served in the Great
War 1914-1919
And in Memory of the Fallen
[The white marble tablet at the bottom of the northwest side for those locals who died and served in World War II is transcribed after the WW1]
The plaque on the southwestern side is the start of an alphabetic list of the locals who served in WW1. It is covered with a small amount of stain. It reads:
For God, King, & Empire
Avery L.Y.
Bell L.
Barton J.H.
Blythe W.T.
Carlisle T.
Chick S.A.
Chick G.
Christiansen F.
Christiansen P.
Foster A.M.
Griffith R.
Halliday H.G.
Heath F.C.
Hinten D.G.
Howe M.W.
Holland F.P.
Hewitt A.E.
Hughes E.
Jensen J.
Jensen W.A.
Jenkins J.
Johnson J.
Kell V.S.
Kell C.A.
Klumpp F.
Knight T.
[Below that is a rectangular bronze plaque for Multi-Conflicts]
On the northeastern side - towards the School of Arts hall, is another tall rectangular white marble tablet which continues the alphabetic list of the locals who served in WW1. It reads:
For God, King, & Empire
Laughton D.
Laughton E.
McBroom R.J.
McNeil H.
Metcalfe J.V.
Metcalfe W.
Mitchell C.R.
Moore A.E.
Muir N.C.
Newton G.
Osborne W.J.
Ralph H.
Rix F.
Rose E.A.L.
Rutherford B.
Salter P.
Salter G.
Shoesmith A.J.
Staples W.B.P.
Stewart S.B.
Towers A.
Towers C.
Towers H.
Thoms G.S. MM
Unicomb G.L.
World War Two
On the lower part of the northwest facing side of the obelisk (facing Macquarie Street), is a white marble tablet, for World War Two. It reads:
LEST WE FORGET
To the men of this District who
gave their lives & to those who
served in World War II 1939-1945
Burns F.
Bond K.
Chapman N.P.
Chapman E.
Carter C.
Ford H.P.
Flemming E.
Kell F.
Watson E.
Whatson H.W.
Multi-Conflicts plaque
Below the first half of the alphabetic list of those that served in WW1, on the southwestern face, is a rectangular brass plaque. It reads:
In Memory of those who served in
Boer War, World War I, World War II, Korea
Malaya-Borneo, Vietnam
and all other Conflicts
There are a couple of white-painted, plain wooden benches on each side of the obelisk, on the grass around the concrete pad, and there is a flag pole off to the side.
The Monuments Australia website has an excerpt from the local newspaper 'of the day', for the unveiling of this obelisk on Saturday, 11 November, 1922. It reads:
"
On the crest of the hill, in the centre of the main street in Coopernook stands the second memorial stone erected in this district in honor and memory of the brave boys who participated in the 1914-1919 war. The first one was erected to the memory of Corporal John Woollard, at Killabakh. On Saturday last the unveiling ceremony took place at 10.30 a.m. people from the village and surrounding district began to assemble, the Taree Salvation Army Band, under the conductorship of Bandmaster Armitage rendered several selections, and was the signal to one and all that the appointed hour was drawing nigh. At 10.55 Mr. Delves had his motor lorry drawn up alongside of the memorial. Seated therein were: — Mr. R. S. Vincent, M.L.A; Rev. G.D. Hilder, Rev. A. T. Newton; Mr. A. Whatson, president of the Memorial committee and Mr.Willis, the Hon.secretary to the movement. Promptly at 11 a.m. the chairman requested all to stand, and for two minutes the large assembly with hats off and bowed heads remained silent.
"Mr. Vincent expressed pleasure at being present and thanked the committee for their invitation to perform the unveiling ceremony. This event marks the fourth anniversary of the armistice — an event that will live in history till time shall be no more. We look back to four years ago and live again through the scenes of strife and conflict; again we experience the deep joy, the indescribable relief, when it became generally known that the end had been written to the world's most disastrous war — a war that had dyed the fair fields of France and Belgium, red with the life's blood of millions." [Monument Australia: Coopernook War Memorial, ex-"The Northern Champion", 18 November, 1922.
It seems that the obelisk was placed elsewhere initially, as you can recognised that where it is is NOT on a hill. There is photo of the earlier placement in the Australian War Memorial link, showing it with four 'milestone' looking stone bollards, and metal pipe completely surrounding it. It was probably up near Mitchell place, near the general store. Coopernook
Visited: 1905, Wednesday, 3 December, 2014
Monuments Australia: Coopernook
War Memorial Register: Coopernook War Memorial