The Featherston Camp Memorial Trust was set up to facilitate installation of a significant work of art by internationally renowned artist Paul Dibble, to be placed in Featherston’s proposed town square.

We believe Featherston’s greatest asset is its history and this asset is under-utilised in terms of community pride and economic benefit.

The proposed sculpture will identify the town with Featherston Military Training Camp, located on the town’s boundary during World War I. The Camp had a profound impact on the town between 1916 and 1918. It was New Zealand’s largest ever military camp and 60,000 men trained there, making the sculpture locally, nationally and internationally significant.

The sculpture will be a drawcard for descendants of the men and women who passed through the Camp, as well as other national and international visitors. This will benefit both the local community and the wider Wairarapa area, with economic spin-offs for local businesses in the surrounding areas.

We will apply for a WW100 Lotteries Grant for the bulk of the required funding once we have raised one third of the total cost. The Lottery Grants Board is able to fund up to two thirds of the cost of a WW100 project.

The Trust House Foundation grant of $50,000.00, will help considerably with raising the one third of the cost required to enable us to apply for the Lottery funding to complete the project. The Featherston Camp Memorial Trust appreciates the support of Trust House Foundation.

Proposed Sculpture