Bonded by the bronze: meet the heroic restorers of Tugu Negara

Four sculptors (from left) - Abdul Mansoor, Carney, Mufti and Zolkeply - who worked on the restoration of Tugu Negara after it was bombed by the communists in August 1975 have reunited in Malaysia after 46 years. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin

The iconic Tugu Negara, a monument in Kuala Lumpur that remembers and recognises the sacrifices of British, Malaysian, Commonwealth and other international military personnel in the two World Wars and the Malayan Emergency, was badly damaged when it was bombed by the communists on Aug 26, 1975.

The Malaysian government at the time commissioned Australian art lecturer and sculptor Christopher Carney, who was working at Institut Teknologi Mara (ITM /UiTM) back then to help restore the monument.