Community
12 September, 2025
Can you help?
THE hunt is on to find some information as to how a 110 year-old plaque found its way in to an attic at South West Healthcare’s Warrnambool campus.
The plaque, which honours the memory of Warrnambool’s Major Tom Redford (killed in battle in Gallipoli on August 7, 1915) was recently discovered by a staff member clearing the attic in what was once the boiler room - prior to its demolition to make way for a new medical tower as part of the current renovations.
“Of the dozens of various SWH-specific plaques (most of them related to openings of hospital developments over the last 50 plus years), this one was found by Michael Ryan, our building and infrastructure manager,” South West Healthcare’s community partnerships manager, Suzan Morey said.
“But we have absolutely no idea just how the plaque ended up in that attic.
“If it wasn’t for the need to demolish the old boiler room to make way for the new medical tower, we may never have discovered this plaque.
“We’re all now very intrigued as to how it got there and would be keen to hear from anyone who may be able to enlighten us all.”
News of the find brought great joy to Warrnambool RSL member Doug Heazlewood who has been researching Major Tom Redford for almost two decades.
“This is really exciting,” Doug said.
“I’ve been pushing for a memorial for him for a long time and now this (plaque) may very well be the turning point in gaining support.”
During his research, Doug discovered the plaque was originally most likely located at the base of a tree that was planted in Major Redford’s honour on the banks of the Warrnambool Rowing Club in its early days on Simpson Street.
“It was probably moved after continuous river floods,” he said.
“Major Redford was the first Warrnambool Rowing Club member to enlist and he was held in such high regard in his community that every other club member also signed up – some of them took three goes at it but in the end, every one of them went to war.”
Major Redford (born and bred in Warrnambool) was a member of the 8th Light Horse Regiment.
He was sent to Egypt on February 25, 1915 and was regarded as one of Australia’s bravest unsung war heroes.
“I believe this plaque stood proudly at the bottom of a Norfolk pine on Simpson Street after World War 1 but exactly where it went once the rowing club moved is anyone’s guess,” Doug said.
It’s believed a character in the movie Gallipoli was based on Major Redford, where this particular soldier was slaughtered alongside 200 other Australians within a matter of 10 minutes.
“No-one yet knows how this plaque came to be at South West Health but we’re keen to learn.”
A search of hospital archives showed Major Redford never worked for the healthcare service.
Back then, his family owned a well-known and large trades supply business where Sinclair Wilson now is.
The healthcare’s annual reports from the early 1900s also showed the family gifted one pound annually to its appeals.
“Back then that was a lot of money,” Ms Morey said.
“This is a very exciting but intriguing find; we truly value the past, and the people who paid with their lives to protect ours so we’re all keen to discover more about this plaque and how it came to be in our attic; who knows who put it there and how long ago?”
Along with the search for information, members of the Warrnambool RSL will also hold discussions as to the future location of the plaque.
“It really needs to be somewhere prominent; somewhere on display for everyone to see and read,” Doug said.
“This is an important piece of history that honours one of Warrnambool’s great soldiers and it deserves prominence.”
