Manjimup Town Entrance Archway

Image source Wendy Hudson

Artist: Unknown

Asset Type: Sculpture, Architectural artwork

Year of Work: 1958

Location: 48 S Western Hwy, Manjimup WA

Provenance: Shire of Manjimup

Description: In June 1958, the Manjimup Timber Week Committee was formed to organise celebrations in Manjimup. On 14 August 1958, the Committee requested that a permanent timber archway be constructed to commemorate the timber industry and act as a gateway to the Southern Forest Region. The Manjimup Roads Board passed the motion, but requested that approvals be sought from the Minister’s department and that the relevant resources be sourced to erect the structure. On 11 September 1958, a meeting of the Manjimup Roads Board noted that correspondence received from the Department of Local Government stated that any structure built over the road would be an unauthorised obstruction. The Board sought legal advice from Young and Young Solicitor and subsequently increased their Public Liability Insurance. Permission to erect the structure was then granted. It is unclear when exactly Manjimup Town Entrance Statement was constructed, but it is likely to have been erected between 11 September and 10 October 1958, just prior to the official Timber Week celebration. On 10 October 1958, permission was given to erect street lighting to the archway. Aerial imagery shows that the archway has not been altered since its construction other than small letters being added atop of the logs, which spell the name of the town. In 2012, aerial imagery also shows that the northern archway was one of two, with another located to the south, along Mottram St/South-West Hwy, in exactly the same form as the northern archway. By 2014, this archway had been removed due to a collision with a truck and was not rebuilt. This southern archway is not likely to have been associated with the archway constructed before Timber Week as the Manjimup Roads Board minutes specifically mention an archway to the northern entrance. No other references to the southern archway were found and its construction date is unknown. The upper-most horizontal logs are not original. It is not clear when these were replaced, but this work was completed by the Rotary Club of Manjimup, whose contribution is shown by the erection of a plaque on the structure