Category:Monash Park obelisk

English: The Monash Park obelisk is a monumental drinking fountain with two plaques attached. The southern side base has modern bubbler in a stone receptacle and a tap below. It was relocated in 1941 and is now sited wthin Monash Park in Gladesville, New South Wales along Ryde Road, in the north-western corner of the park.

The monument has a three-tiered octagonal stone base topped by a Doric column fluted to about half way up. The centre section of the stone base (two top tiers) have ornate corners. The whole is topped by a flat projection with a ball on top. The southern side base has modern bubbler in a stone receptacle and a tap below. There are two bronze plaques attached. The wording of the larger plaque is:

Presented to the Citizens of Gladesville by Alderman R.T. & Mrs. Sutton in memory of their Son Joseph Born 14th August 1870 Died 8th October, 1909.

The wording of the smaller plaque at the base is:

This Foundation Stone was Laid by The Hon, C.A. Lee, M.L.A., Minister of Public Works, on the official opening of the Gladesville- Ryde Tram 11th June, 1910

The date 11 June 1910 is also carved into the stone base of the monument.

The fountain was erected in 1910 by Ryde Council Alderman (and sometime Mayor) Rowland Thomas Sutton and his wife Mary as a Memorial to their son Joseph who died on 8 October 1909 aged 39. Joseph Sutton was a representative country cricketer who at the time of his death owned a newsagency in Scone, New South Wales. The Monument was originally erected at the intersection of Wharf and Victoria Roads in Gladesville and unveiled on 11 June 1910 as part of the opening ceremony celebrating the extension of the tram line from Drummoyne to Ryde. Another drinking fountain commemorating the opening of the Tram was erected at the tram terminus (Hatton's Flat) by Ryde Council and also unveiled on 11 June 1910. There is a suggestion in contemporary newspaper reports that there was some rivalry among aldermen over the erection of drinking fountains.

The monument was moved from its original location in 1941 at the intersection of Victoria Road and Wharf Street in Gladesville, presumably at the time of construction of the clock tower at the same site.

The monument is of historical significance due to association with former Ryde Mayor Rowland Thomas Sutton. The monument is of aesthetic significance as an early 20th century monument exhibiting fine stonework, representative of public monuments of its period (1910).

Sources

• This article consists of text adapted from the NSW Heritage item description, which is licensed under CC-BY-SA.