Known for his untiring ‘efforts on behalf of the families who went to the front’ during World War I, Roger Octavius Breden also ‘spared no effort in raising the funds for the Town Hall Memorial Tower and Clock’, as treasurer for the Young Town Hall and Clock Soldiers Memorial Committee.
It is for this reason that the plaque pictured above was placed on a Council Chamber wall after Breden died in 1930.
The plaque was later donated to the Young Historical Society and is now displayed in the Museum.
Breden was born in Sydney in 1868.
He was educated at Newington College, Stanmore, before working for the Commercial Bank in Bourke, where ‘he rose from the position of junior to that of manager in nine years’.
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While in Burke, he married Mary Elizabeth Hobson in 1893.
Breden was transferred to Cobar, as branch manager of the Commercial Bank, in 1895.
He was transferred ‘to the more important branch of Young’ in May 1908.
Within a year of his arrival in Young, Breden donated 1 pound, 1s to the new Methodist Church and joined the committees of the School of Arts, Young P. & A. Association and Burrangong District Hospital.
By 1913, he had served a term as Worshipful Master of the Lodge Burrangong St John, No. 20, Young.
Breden was also secretary of St John’s Nursing Home and an active member of St John’s Church of England.
A committee was elected in November 1920 to investigate the creation of a soldiers' memorial in Young and eventually it decided to construct a Memorial Tower as part of the municipal building.
Breden was honorary treasurer of the Young Tower and Clock Soldiers Memorial committee.
Major General Charles Frederick Cox unveiled the Young and District Soldiers’ Memorial on 24th May 1924.
The architects were Messers Soden and Glaney of Sydney and the builder was A. G. Brown of Haberfield.
The total cost of the addition was 3,800 pounds.
The spiral staircase was made possible with the donation of 150 pounds from F. H. Tout of Wambanumba.
The copper statue of the Digger was made with similar facial features to 2nd Lieutenant Anthony Steel Caldwell of the Royal Flying Corps, who was killed in a flying accident in England in 1917.
Tony's parents, Mr and Mrs Steele Caldwell of Eurabba, donated the statue's cost of 330 pounds.
An electric clock was to be installed later at the cost of 1,100 pounds.
The foundation stones, donated by Messers Weeden and Millard, were laid by the Premier of New South Wales, Sir George Fuller, in November 1922.
Miss Jean Crichton, daughter of the Shire President, laid the Children’s Stone.Roger Octavius Breden died in his office chair in Young on 21st June 1930, having served the Commercial Bank for 45 years.
Karen Schamberger - Young Historical Society
