WHAT: Avenue of Honour Cairn Re-dedication unveiling event
WHO: Ballarat Mayor Samantha McIntosh, Arch of Victory/Avenue of Honour Committee President Garry Snowden
WHEN: 10am, Friday 12 April
WHERE: Memorial Cairn (at end of Avenue of Honour) Corner Avenue Road and Weatherboard Road, Weatherboard
A restored memorial to Ballarat’s world war one soldiers and nurses will be formally rededicated on a significant anniversary this Friday.
The restoration of the cairn at the end of Ballarat’s 22 km Avenue of Honour is the final project of an eight-year program to restore the Avenue and the Arch of Victory. The restoration program coincided with the centenary of Anzac.
The event will also mark the centenary of the death of the last Avenue soldier to be killed in action in the first world war, Alexander John Anderson, of the 4th Light Horse Regiment.
The cairn, which stands in the district of Weatherboard, was originally built by Ballarat citizens 85 years ago.
Ballarat Mayor Samantha McIntosh said the cairn and the Avenue remained important points of connection for many Ballarat families to relatives who served in the first world war.
“The words on the two plaques attached to the cairn make it clear that, almost two decades after the first world war, Ballarat citizens wanted to commemorate those from our Avenue who gave their lives in service of their country.”
“Even today, flowers and photos left at plaques along the Avenue demonstrate just how important these plaques remain to many local families who want to honour and commemorate the service and sacrifice of their relatives.”
The restoration of the cairn was delivered by the City of Ballarat in partnership with Arch of Victory/Avenue of Honour Committee.
It was made possible with an $18,000 grant from the State Government’s Restoring War Memorials and Avenues of Honour Grant Program, and $15,000 from the Federal Government’s ANZAC Centenary Grant program.
