Avenue’s Cairn restored and re-dedicated

WEATHERBOARD’S Memorial Cairn, marking the end of Ballarat’s Avenue of Honour, was re-dedicated last Friday morning, following six months of restoration.

The humble 82-year-old monument was very weathered, had deteriorated in recent times and needed repair, but with funding assistance from the Anzac Centenary Grants Program and the state government, the stone work has now been secured and is pristine.

Originally built by the Ballarat and District Soldiers’ Fathers Association in 1936, the cairn was a new way to commemorate their sons almost two decades after World War One.

Erected in the Depression, the memorial is a visual opposite to the grand Arch at the other end of the Avenue, but President of the Arch of Victory – Avenue of Honour Committee, Gary Snowden said aesthetics aren’t important.

“It’s not what it is, it’s what it represents,” he said. “You can’t do much more for your country than put your life on the line.”

Mr Snowden hopes Ballarat, and residents local to the site, will be custodians of the memorial. City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Samantha McIntosh said everyone “should be proud as punch.

“There’s a lot of knowledge, there’s a lot of care, there’s a lot of history. There’s some really important stories that do need to be told, that need to be remembered, and there’s this beautiful cairn that needs to be protected,” Cr McIntosh said. “It’s a beautiful, peaceful space. I’m pleased to see it restored.”

The committee selected April 12 for the service as it marked the centenary of the death of Alexander John Anderson, the last man killed in action within Ballarat’s Avenue. He is tree number 1133.

A committee spokesperson expressed gratitude for the support of Federal Member for Ballarat, Catherine King, retired Member for Wendouree, Sharon Knight, Deb Cartledge and the City of Ballarat, and the Cemetery Trust during the restoration project.

The Avenue of Honour runs 22kms from the Arch of Victory in Alfredton to the Memorial Cairn in Weatherboard.

The last eight years have been busy for the committee, having commenced restoration on the Arch in 2011 and keeping the avenue at its best.