Broken Hill Women's Memorial is located in the Town Square of

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and honours the contribution of women to the Broken Hill community. In particular, it acknowledges the work of women who supported the town's miners during long and difficult strikes and industrial disputes. Some of these women organised themselves into the Women's Brigade (Broken Hill). Their work included picketing outside the mine, organising protest marches and rallies, and tarring and feathering non-unionised workers (strikebreakers, known as scabs) who tried to enter the mine during strikes. The memorial was partially funded from a surplus of money raised by the women of Broken Hill during an industrial dispute at the mine in 1986. As had been the case in previous strikes in 1892 and

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

, the women of the town supported the men by organising financial support, as well as providing ongoing moral support and encouragement. When the 1986 dispute ended and the women's fund still held $1,000, it was decided to use the money to build a memorial. The balance of the funds was provided by the miners' union. The memorial is built from two pieces of black

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

and was constructed by Zanon Memorials. It depicts an image of a family and two pieces of text. The unveiling ceremony took place on 30 March 2001, and was performed by Martin Ferguson, Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Transport, Infrastructure, Regional Services and Population. The president of the

Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU, though most commonly still referred to as CFMEU) is Australia's main trade union in construction, forestry, maritime, mining, energy, textile, clothing and footwear producti ...

, Eddie Butcher, was also present and dedicated the memorial with the words "

omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...

were the unsung heroes as they stood by their men, through the toughest and darkest hours of mining history. Women are the backbone of Broken Hill's society and they truly deserve the recognition that this monument will give them."

References

External links

{{Authority control Monuments and memorials to women Monuments and memorials in New South Wales Buildings and structures in Broken Hill, New South Wales 2001 sculptures Women in Australia