McConnell Park And Toogoolawah War Memorial

Toogoolawah literally set in stone an eternal memorial to 'Our Boys Honour' when its citizens commissioned the first WWI memorial outside a cemetery back in 1916. The obelisk, crafted by Frank Williams and Co of Ipswich, was unveiled on 31 March 1917. It bears marble honour rolls and an engraved wreath with the words 'Our Boys Honour'. Until then, only Private Victor Denton's monument in his family plot at Nobby cemetery on the Darling Downs stood as a tribute to the European heroics of young Queenslanders. Originally set apart from the rest of the park by a picket fence, gardens were laid out by 1921 and a WWI gun was installed adjacent to the memorial on Anzac Day of that year. Memorials to subsequent conflicts have been added over the years. The park's land was donated to the community by Brisbane Valley pioneering pastoralist family, the McConnels. It's believed they also donated the nearby bandstand. ...