AUSTRALIAN war hero and former Ballarat resident Harold “Pompey” Elliott has been immortalised through a new statue in the Sturt Street gardens. In a ceremony to dedicate the statue at the start of the city’s annual Heritage Weekend, mayor Craig Fletcher called Elliott “one of Ballarat’s most distinguished sons”.Cr Fletcher was joined by serving members of the Australian Defence Force and retired General Peter Cosgrove.The statue, by Louis Laumen, will stand in the Sturt Street Boulevard Gardens to honour Elliot’s military service and commemorate his years as a student at Ballarat College.Elliott attended what is now Ballarat Clarendon College, from 1895 and was named Dux in his final year. After attending Melbourne University, Elliot served with distinction with the 4th Imperial Contingent in the Boer War. On his return from South Africa, he joined the militia and by the start of World War I in 1914, he was a battalion commander. He fought at Gallipoli, where he was wounded, and in 1916 became the Commander of the 15th Brigade, a position he held for the rest of the war. After the war, Elliott became a Senator for Victoria.“There is no doubt that the quality of life that we enjoy in this country today was built on the bravery, strength and determination of men like Pompey Elliott,” Cr Fletcher said. “Major General Harold Edward Pompey Elliott is one of Ballarat’s most distinguished sons.”Commissioned by the Ballarat Foundation, the sculptor worked from photographs at the Australian War Memorial to create the finely detailed statue. Mr Laumen spent more than two weeks on fine detail on the bronze, including the texture of Elliott’s military decorations and the buttons on his tunic.Local community leaders, students from Ballarat Clarendon College, the Australian Army Band and the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir took part in the ceremony. Historian and Elliott biographer Ross McMullin told hundreds of local residents gathered in cold conditions that Pompey was one of the nation’s most distinguished figures. “Pompey remains Australia’s most famous fighting general,” he said.