Anglesea War Memorial nears completion

SCULPTORS are applying the finishing touches to a new Anglesea War Memorial ahead of an unveiling early next year.

The new memorial includes a stone wall with plaques bearing the names of almost 400 Anglesea and district men and women who have served in Australian Defence Forces from the First World War to the present day, which is nearing completion.

The wall is the new memorial’s focal point, and includes a handcrafted, steel ADF emblem, front lighting and uplit flag poles.

The site at Cameron Park, opposite the shopping centre, will also have a commemorative garden and a seat beside the wall to complete the space.

Aireys Inlet stonemason Steve Duff has worked on the centrepiece wall, and the memorial committee expects all work to be finished by the end of January before an official launch on February 27.

Meanwhile, community members are undertaking research into Anglesea’s military history for an exhibition to launch just after Anzac Day, which will honour the district’s servicepeople, former Avenue of Honour and its coastal watchhouse that searched for enemy ships.

Anglesea War Memorial Committee member Adrian Hunter said the memorial was a culmination of several years’ worth of community generosity and tireless volunteer work, and that locals were eager to see the finished product.

“This project has been made possible with the generous financial contribution by the community and the hard work of the Anglesea and District War Memorial Committee,” he said.

“The people around town keep asking us in the committee what’s been happening.

“The main plaques are fitted into the brickwork and all that now, we’re pleased with how it all looks.”

Local donors helped the committee reach its $65,000 fundraising target for the project since launching an appeal in late 2019.