By ANEEKA SIMONIS
A SACRED remembrance site left in ruins in the weeks leading up to the Anzac Centenary will be restored by council ahead of Upper Beaconsfield’s milestone commemoration.
The 96-year-old stone wall surrounding the town’s World War I cenotaph was left damaged since January when a runaway driver crashed into the memorial site.
Though the damage was reported to Cardinia Shire Council on Thursday 29 January, repairs for the historically important Charing Cross Reserve wall did not get the immediate attention they deserved, according to local resident Phil Maxwell.
“It was far too important a memorial site to disregard,” Mr Maxwell said.
But council’s Operations Manager Charles Taveira recently assured locals the site would be repaired for the Anzac centenary on Saturday 25 April.
“We are funding and co-ordinating these works as we recognise the cenotaph’s significance to the local community and the importance of restoring it before Anzac Day 2015,” he said.
Mr Taveira said council staff met with Upper Beaconsfield RSL last week to discuss the repairs which will include a new safety bracket designed to protect the sacred site from any future accidents.
“The wall will be returned to its original length before Anzac Day, and a guardrail will be installed to protect the wall and monument. These works will not disrupt Anzac Day events being held at the RSL.”
Upper Beaconsfield RSL President Eric Chaplain was delighted with the news.
“We are quite happy with the outcome,” he said.
“We met with council on Monday (last week) and they told us that part of the wall was too close to the road under certain safety regulations. They are planning to replace the whole wall as it was and put a barrier in front of it to protect it from traffic.”
Mr Maxwell, who had made frequent calls to council over the damaged wall, described the imminent repairs as a “win for the Diggers”.
“I am delighted. The Anzacs have had a win,” he said.
The cenotaph features local soldiers’ names who served in the war and is used as a memorial site for Ash Wednesday and other significant town events.
Mr Chaplain said the centenary service will begin at 11am at the cenotaph located on the corner of McBride and Salisbury roads.
A local garden group has put together a setting which will cloak the cenotaph for the service before a luncheon nearby. Cast aluminium crosses to represent each soldier featured on the town cenotaph will form a focal part of the Anzac display.
