King George V Memorial, Melbourne

There are two bronze statues on the monument; on the east face stands King George V, wearing full garter robes and the Imperial State Crown, and holding his ceremonial sceptre and orb. His statue stood at and weighed 2.5 tonnes. The western face features a statue representing Maternal Britannia, who holds a cross in her hands as well as an olive branch, symbolising love and peace. Two children, who represent the Dominions and Colonies living in peace under British rule, are positioned next to her. The statues are accompanied by sandstone and granite fluted columns, measuring at their highest, as well as two additional small sandstone heraldic statues of a lion and a unicorn on either side to the north and south respectively. These each hold a shield showing the armorial bearings of King George V. The monument is surrounded by bluestone paving slabs, with two sets of seven-step stairs on the west and east side. == History ==

Creation The memorial was created by artist Leslie Bowles. However, the outbreak of World War II delayed its construction significantly, the George V statue on the monument was beheaded, and red paint was thrown onto it. A video of the incident posted online showed a person wearing a high-vis jacket and head torch sawing off the head spray painting the words "the colony will fall" over part of the statue. The video, which was soundtracked by the Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen", ends with the caption "Happy birthday motherfucker". The head was present at a sound check before the event, and was taken with the band when they left the venue. , no arrests have been made and the head has not been recovered. == References ==