Memorial for the Fallen Unveiled – Anzac Day, 2025

Liam Hardy’s Memorial for the Fallen, unveiled at dawn on Anzac Day 2025 at The Southport School, stands as a profound and evocative tribute to the 132 Old Boys who have lost their lives in military conflicts since 1915. With poignant restraint and emotional depth, Hardy captures the silent dignity of sacrifice and remembrance in a work that speaks directly to the Australian spirit.

Bespoke Bronze Memorial statue of a kneeling soldier giving water to a horse, surrounded by wreaths, outdoors near brick wall and suburban homes.

Project Snapshot

Location: The Southport School

minimalist brown silhouette of a person with a circle head and semicircle body on a light background, elegant and timeless.

Client: The Southport School

Elegant brown feather quill displayed diagonally on a light background, symbolizing timeless tribute and classic remembrance.

Commission Type: Memorial Sculpture

Materials: Bronze

Bespoke Bronze Memorial plaque illustration featuring a bronze broom sweeping dust, symbolizing remembrance and care on a clean white background.

Figures Sculpted: 2

Completion Date: 2025

Project Overview

A Monument to Memory and Meaning

Central to the sculpture is the figure of a horse—a symbol not only of wartime service but of a deeply human bond forged through hardship. Representing the more than 39,000 Australian horses sent to foreign battlefields, of which only one returned, the sculpture pays homage to these often-overlooked companions of war. Through Hardy’s sensitive rendering, the horse transcends its literal form to embody endurance, loyalty, and loss. It serves as both a historical reminder and a timeless expression of human emotion.

Much like Charles Sargeant Jagger’s Royal Artillery Memorial in London—renowned for its unflinching realism—Hardy’s piece does not shy away from the emotional gravity of its subject. Yet, where Jagger evokes stoicism, Hardy introduces tenderness. The relationship between the light horseman and his mount is captured not as legend but as lived experience—intimate, enduring, and quietly heroic. This connection brings a unique emotional texture that resonates deeply with viewers, old and young alike.

The placement of the sculpture, catching the first light of dawn, ensures that each Anzac Day begins with a moment of collective reflection anchored in art. With Memorial for the Fallen, Liam Hardy has created more than a monument; he has given form to memory, crafting a work of lasting national and emotional resonance. This memorial will stand as a generational touchstone for remembrance at the school and in the wider community.