Centrally placed opposite the Cooma Post Office, an enclosure, obelisk and diorama form the Cooma Cenotaph.
The obelisk looking toward Vale St and the shopping area of Cooma.
Every country town in NSW, indeed Australia, possesses a war memorial in similar vein to this one. Information on its specifications and dates of construction can be found at: The information found on this website is pedestrian, and I find the remark that the cenotaph is enclosed by a "modern" fence puzzling, as the style and materials of this fence suggest that although it was no doubt modern at the time of installation, it is now nearly a century old, as the memorial was completed in 1924. However I suppose in relation to some histories, for example that of our indigenous people, it is indeed modern. Although I find the source referred to uninspired, it does contain the interesting statement that the names of victims of the first world war were not engraved on the cenotaph until 1987 due to lack of funds at the time of building. 
... and another to WWII flying ace Flight Lieutenant Pat Hughes D.F.C., which is no doubt very interesting with an informative plaque telling the story and a rather nice modelled map and aeroplane. However water has entered the display, making it impossible to see clearly (don't worry, I know who to inform on this question):
and of great interest to local spiders.
The war memorial complex continues for about fifty metres along the small park that divides Vale St opposite the Cooma Post Office and Court House. There are many plaques which refer to past residents of Cooma who served in various conflicts, a pleasant avenue of oak trees and, further into the park, other memorials which will be discussed in future installments of this blog.
The outdoor diorama made by artist Chris Graham in the 1980s depicts a scene at Gallipoli
Memorializing the participants and casualties of war is clearly a priority in our culture, or perhaps those who wish to comemorate these people and events have a lot of resources (despite the 63-year delay in engraving names on the obelisk), as the general area of the cenotaph is dotted with many plaques and small memorials. Of particular interest is one to Monaghan Hayes, the first Cooma casualty of WWI, killed at Gallipoli in 1915:
The very interesting but not always legible flying ace memorial.
Also of interest to those with an interest in war memorabilia is the German gun seen in this photo.
Restored by the local Lions Club in recent years
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