Women’s War Memorial Gardens
Red Gum Park / Karrawirra (Park 12)
Did you know that this memorial was funded by the women of South Australia?
The Women's War Memorial Gardens were constructed by South Australian women in remembrance of those who died in World War I. The design of the gardens was to be an open-air cathedral, with the walls formed by an olive hedge. Its layout reflects that of St Peter's Cathedral opposite.
The Kaurna people are the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the Adelaide Plains. The Women's War Memorial Gardens stand in part of a larger park called Karrawirra which means 'River Redgum Forest' in the Kaurna language. The language was last spoken on a daily basis in the 1860s, and has been revived in recent times based on dictionaries prepared by German missionaries around the time of settlement.
The Cross of Sacrifice and the Stone of Remembrance are the central features if the Women's War Memorial Gardens. The Stone is inscribed with the poet Kipling's words "Their Name liveth for Evermore". It was designed by prominent English architect Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944). His work included many monuments to commemorate the dead.
The Cross was carved by Adelaide master builder, Sir Walter Torode (1858-1937), who was also responsible for extensions to the Cathedral opposite.