A monument honouring 160 years of Public Works in Queensland has been unveiled at Queens Gardens in Brisbane.
The circular sandstone bench — sitting on the site of the first lumber yard of the Moreton Bay Penal Colony in 1825 — commemorates the work of Public Works employees performing for more than a century and a half.
QBuild stonemasons crafted the monument using traditional tools similar to those employed in the construction of the historic buildings surrounding the Gardens, including the former Treasury; the old Lands Administration Building; the former Family Services Building, and the former State Library.
Minister for Public Works, Mick de Brenni said the monument’s location was chosen to create a sense of community within the Gardens, while also providing a place of relaxation and reflection for visitors to the area.
“Erecting this monument in Queens Gardens, where Public Works effectively began with an engineer’s cottage and a lumber yard, is a connection to the Department of Energy and Public Works of today,” Mr de Brenni said.
“A job with Public Works is not just about constructing buildings, it is literally building the State,” he said.
“With this monument we recognise the teams that have done that for 160 years, and I am sure they will be doing it for hundreds more years to come.”
He said there had been thousands of ground-breaking ceremonies, ribbon cuttings, and plaque unveilings, “but they do not tell the full story”.
“That story is of incredible achievements and challenges, the masterpieces and monoliths, the lives given to the trade and the lives lost at work,” Mr de Brenni said.
“Today, all across this State, Public Works staff are involved in the construction and maintenance of public buildings, and without them, the work of Government in providing services to remote and rural areas would be so much more difficult,” he said.
