Ceremony to mark cenotaph centenary

THE Bannockburn War Memorial has stood in front of the Bannockburn Shire hall for one hundred years as of this weekend and a centenary event is set to acknowledge the milestone.

Coordinated by the Inverleigh RSL, sub-branch’s president Deema Johnston said it was important to celebrate the monument’s legacy, which will include presentations and a wreath laying ceremony.

“It’s incredible to be honoured with the job of not only organising it, but for being MC for the day, it’s basically walking in the footsteps of [monument opener] Lieutenant-Colonel Neil Freeman,” he said.

“That memorial and the grassed area immediately around it is in essence a burial plot for the men up on that memorial as they have no known burial spots anywhere.”

Alongside Mr Johnston, veterans Kevin Freeman and Don Gerling will act as chaplain and guest speaker respectively.

Erected in 1923 to commemorate nine fallen World War One soldiers and later two World War Two service personnel, the statue depicts Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of remembrance.

Mr Johnston said the Bannockburn War Memorial has been a significant site for commemoration for many years.

“For Anzac Day, it’s actually the site of our step-off service. It’s where we’ve held our traditional dawn service for many years now, and people will often lay floral tributes there,” he said.

“The memorial is really something of significance. It’s unique in its own creation because rather than being of a World War One digger, it’s a deity.

“There’s not actually a lot of those around. I also found from researching that the earliest war memorial was opened on Anzac Day in 1923, so Bannockburn’s is really of importance.”

The event is set for this Sunday, 5 February from 2.30pm.