By ANEEKA SIMONIS
A BUILDING that provided shelter to locals during the Ash Wednesday fires in Cockatoo is soon to become a memorial site.
Cardinia Shire Council has appointed a contractor to start working on the former McBride Street kindergarten where residents found refuge during the devastating 1983 bushfires.
Highly sentimental to locals, the building also reached worldwide audiences when Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana visited the site in the wake of the disaster. Cardinia Shire mayor Graeme Moore said the Ash Wednesday memorial project meant a lot to the local community.“Tragically, the township of Cockatoo bore the full brunt of the firestorm, with more than 300 buildings destroyed and six lives lost. The kindergarten provided much-needed shelter for many residents during the devastating Ash Wednesday bushfires and so, understandably, is of great importance to the Cockatoo community.
“This memorial will create a lasting tribute to those who died or suffered losses during these fires and I am sure it will be a location of great reflection for many years to come,” Cr Moore said.
Operating as an educational centre for local children until 2005, the refurbishment will see the building turned into a place where locals and visitors can reflect on the bushfire incident as well as learn about fire safety.
Starting next month, the redevelopment will include an internal fit out, landscaping and access paths to the site carried out by Whytehall Services.
The building narrowly escaped council apprived demolition back in 2011 due to resistance from residents who believe the building was an integral part of the town’s heritage.
One resident, Gloria O’Connor said it was good “to hear restoration of the Cockatoo kindergarten building locked into a contract.”
During council sessions on 15 September, Cardinia Shire Councillor Brett Owen said, “it’s fair to say council made a mistake back then.”
Cr George Blenkhorn, who was mayor at the time, said he was pleased with council’s decision.
“It’s quite a different atmosphere tonight than in 2011 when council underestimated the passion and feelings of the cockatoo community toward this building,” Cr Blenkhorn said.
A tree planted by Princess Diana during her Royal visit a month after the bushfires will remain as part of the remembrance site.
Valued at about $800,000, the Federal Government has contributed more than half the cost for the project which is expected to be completed by March next year.
