William CalderPrint Page

The monument commemorates William Calder, who was the first chairman of the Country Roads Board. It was unveiled by Mr Davis, M.L.C. on the 28th April 1931.

The memorial is situated on the site where the CRB completed its first major piece of work. It is an obelisk of Gippsland granite, 20ft high erected by the Gippsland Shires and Boroughs Development Association on behalf of the municipalities of Gippsland.

William Calder was the first Chairman for the Country Roads Board (CRB) from 1913 to 1928. Among his first tasks was to undertake an exhaustive inspection of the road system, which had been neglected by the responsible municipalities and state government since the building of the railways. Calder was known as a meticulous note-taker and enthusiastic photographer, and his notes recording the board's progress were transcribed and used as a basic reference for many years. Despite, shortages of money and manpower for road-building as a consequence of the Great War, Calder campaigned successfully for more funds, especially for arterial roads, both publicly and privately.

WARRAGUL, Tuesday.— A memorial to the late William Calder, the first chairman of the Country Roads Board was unveiled today by Mr. G. Davis, M.L.C., at the junction of the Princes Highway and Lardner's Track, on the boundary of the Warragul and Buln Buln shires.  The memorial, which is half way between Warragul and Drouin, has been erected by the Gippsland Shires and Boroughs Development Association. It is of granite from the Tynong quarries, and is a miniature replica of Cleopatra's' needle, with the inscription in bronze on the base. Representatives of nearly all the Gippsland municipalities were present, as well as members of the Country Roads Board. 
Age (Melbourne), 29 April 1931.

Note: The Country Roads Board (CRB) was the government authority responsible for the construction and maintenance of  main roads in the State of Victoria, Australia between 1913 and 1983.

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