In 1995, on the corner of Ashby and Victoria Roads, Mayor Vince MacLean presided over the dedication of this memorial monument and plaque dedicated to the city’s steelworkers. The steel monument is composed of two sections; the first is a discarded steel ladle from the plant and the second part is a plaque inscribed with a dedication. The ladle, grey and resting on a painted blue frame, stands at over 10 feet tall. The plaque at the front of the ladle reads:
Steel has been Sydney's major industry since 1899. Men and women from all over the world, followed by their children and grandchildren, worked at the Sydney Steel Plant. Their rich and varied experiences included work which was often hot and dangerous, but always full of comraderie [sic]. The Steelworkers' culture of work is based not only in the work place, but also in the ethnically diverse communities of Cape Breton and in their class struggle for equity and justice throughout the industry's history in Sydney. Sydney's steelworkers have made significant contributions to innovation in the industry, to their communities and to the North American labour movement - Dedicated, Vincent J. MacLean, Mayor of Sydney, 1995.
The location of the monument, Ashby Corner, is the dividing line between two of the city’s working-class neighborhoods – Ashby and Whitney Pier. The same park contains a local war memorial, which indicates the centrality of the location to the collective memory of the community. The juxtaposition of a monument to Sydney’s war dead with a memorial to its workers indicates the bottom-up orientation of historical memory in the city, which is also indicated by the 1986 steelworkers’ monument. The steel ladle monument presents the ways in which industry has informed the culture of the community, and it also links ethnicity and class consciousness to themes of workers’ struggles throughout the 20th century. Like the Steelworkers’ Memorial Monument, the steel ladle and plaque represent an attempt to enshrine the public memory of workers and their families within the collective narrative.
Steel has been Sydney's major industry since 1899. Men and women from all over the world, followed by their children and grandchildren, worked at the Sydney Steel Plant. Their rich and varied experiences included work which was often hot and dangerous, but always full of comraderie [sic]. The Steelworkers' culture of work is based not only in the work place, but also in the ethnically diverse communities of Cape Breton and in their class struggle for equity and justice throughout the industry's history in Sydney. Sydney's steelworkers have made significant contributions to innovation in the industry, to their communities and to the North American labour movement - Dedicated, Vincent J. MacLean, Mayor of Sydney, 1995.
The location of the monument, Ashby Corner, is the dividing line between two of the city’s working-class neighborhoods – Ashby and Whitney Pier. The same park contains a local war memorial, which indicates the centrality of the location to the collective memory of the community. The juxtaposition of a monument to Sydney’s war dead with a memorial to its workers indicates the bottom-up orientation of historical memory in the city, which is also indicated by the 1986 steelworkers’ monument. The steel ladle monument presents the ways in which industry has informed the culture of the community, and it also links ethnicity and class consciousness to themes of workers’ struggles throughout the 20th century. Like the Steelworkers’ Memorial Monument, the steel ladle and plaque represent an attempt to enshrine the public memory of workers and their families within the collective narrative.