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Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney
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The Parramatta River with Searle's monument c1915

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

The Parramatta River with Searle's monument c1915

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National Library of Australia

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Memorials Rivers and Catchments Rowing

Natural features

Parramatta River The Brothers, Henley

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Henley

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Searle's Monument

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Wilson, GW

National Library of Australia

Rivers and Catchments

Rowing

Memorials

The Brothers, Henley

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Group of three rocks visible at low tide in the Parramatta River off the point at Henley, known as The Brothers, or the Three Brothers, which was used as a marker for rowing races and regattas. On one of the rocks is Searle's Monument, that commemorates Henry Ernest Searle, champion sculler of the world in 1888 and 1889.

Parramatta River

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Major tributary of Sydney Harbour, which flows east from Blacktown Creek to meet Port Jackson between Greenwich and Birchgrove. The river is tidal to Charles Street Weir at Parramatta, 30 kilometres from Sydney Heads.

Henley

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Suburb on the north side of the Parramatta River, nine kilometres west of the City of Sydney. It one of several riverside suburbs named after those along the banks of England's Thames.

Searle's Monument

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Monument in Parramatta River off Henley Point to world champion rower Henry Searle who died of typhoid in 1889 at the age of 23. Designed by Shervey and Lenthall , with work carried out by the Patten Brothers, the memorial was unveiled on December 10 1891. Described in The Australian Town and Country Journal on January 2 1892 as consisting of a 21 foot high 'pedestal of Melbourne bluestone, on which is placed a broken column of white Sicilian marble, which is relieved for one third of its height with reeds and fluting, and above are wreaths of native flowers. A bust of the sculler in bas-relief with cross sculls and wreaths decorate the pedestal of marble', with inscriptions on all four sides of the plinth. It marks the finishing spot of the championship course where Searle became world champion in October 1888.

The monument was repaired in 1926 after being damaged when a boat crashed into it during a heavy fog on the river.