ATTRACTIONS WESTBROOK QLD

The WWI memorial in the small rural Darling Downs community of Westbrook is evidence of how pervasive the effect of war was on Queenslanders left behind. The popular 'Digger' statue with an honour roll was unveiled around June 1922 by federal parliamentarian LE Groom (his father William had served as the Darling Downs' first federal politician from 1901). The memorial records that 47 local men went to war. About half of the families listed are represented by more than one member. Two families each saw four of their men go off to war. Westbrook community mourned the loss of 10 lives. The 4.2 metre monument, a life-sized soldier statue standing on a pedestal, was designed and produced by Bruce Brothers of Toowoomba. Once, the memorial stood in an open field. Today, development around it finds it adjacent to Westbrook's public hall.