Anglesea reveals long-awaited memorial

COMMEMORATION of Anglesea’s military history now has pride of place in the town, with a new memorial bearing names of 395 Australian Defence Force personnel standing beside the Great Ocean Road.

The Anglesea and District War Memorial Committee will on Sunday officially unveil the product of five years’ worth of lobbying, research, crowdfunding and labour at Cameron Park.

The new memorial, built from rocks extracted from a local quarry and shaped by local sculptors, includes a handcrafted ADF insignia, four plaques inscribed with names of personnel who served in conflicts since 1915, a Litany of Remembrance and a “lest we forget” sign on the back. Lighting effects, a stone seat and surrounding landscaped garden complete the significant historical project.

It’s the most complete record of names ever compiled that recognises Anglesea’s war history and the first such list put on public display.

The town’s RSL branch, based at Anglesea Community House, has a smaller stone memorial that doesn’t include names of servicepeople.

“We have the Anglesea RSL, in Murray Street, but a lot of people don’t realise it’s there even though on Anzac Day we have 700 people march. That’s why we though we need one here,” Anglesea RSL treasurer Jan Marsh said.

“It’s very unique that we didn’t have a list of names,” committee member Adrian Hunter said.

“You look at it now, and people will be surprised with how many people from the district have served, from Bellbrae through to Eastern View.”

Committee volunteers, which included representatives from Anglesea’s RSL branch, historical society and Lions Club, trawled through historical records including RSL and Surf Life Saving Club registers and invited submissions from the public to compile the honour roll.

Volunteers will continue verifying service records on an addendum board to ensure its records remain accurate and will soon publish its list as a searchable online database.

Of the 395 named servicepeople, 109 served in the First World War, 252 in the Second World War, and 34 in later conflicts. The monument honours both living and deceased servicepeople and will provide a prominent space for local residents to pay their respects for generations to come.

“It’s to have a place where people can come and sit, reflect and pay homage,” Anglesea RSL secretary Angela Hunt said. “Everyone on that plaque hasn’t passed, they’re still living some of them. So it’s nice for them to see something in their honour that they can see … and people can give them accolades.”

Local RSL representatives will raise the Australian, New Zealand and RSL flags at a ceremony from 1.30pm on Sunday afternoon.

The memorial committee will also display the depth of their research into Anglesea’s military history with a Know Their Names exhibition at Anglesea Hall from April 30.