The hard graft of masons and restorers has been revealed this week when scaffolding and wrapping was removed from around Troopers’ memorial.

The memorial was one of seven in Invercargill to receive funding from the Provincial Growth Fund for restoration work.

Marcus Wainwright of Dunedin-based Wainwright & Co Stonemasons who worked on Troopers’ memorial, said during an interview late last year that The Troopersʼ memorial is interesting because you always see it in pictures of Invercargill, it becomes a symbol of the town.

“So much is changing in Invercargill, but this doesn’t change. When you look at the view over his shoulder you get a feeling of all the years the soldier has been looking down on.”

The main issue Marcus needed to contend with was corrosion of the inner steel.

“I try to get to as much rust as I can, find a product to repair it, then cover,” he said

The clocks were removed due to deterioration and damage caused to the memorial, lanterns from the original design were reinstated in their place to preserve character.

Matthew Nind, Asset Planner – Parks said the work gave a unique opportunity to investigate and understand how the memorial was built, the purpose of its build and its current state.

“This level of investigation work, repairs and understanding will help shape how we maintain heritage buildings here in the south,” Mr Nind said.

The ICC would like to thank the following businesses for their work during this project; Wainwright & Co , Johnsons Wireworks & Engineering Ltd, United Scaffolding Services , Coles Consulting Limited , Kurts Quality Decorating, Network Electrical Servicing & WSP New Zealand.