Grants helping memorial park get going

THE Mount Egerton War Memorial Park committee continues to fundraise to establish a special reserve on the south-east corner of Steetley Lane and Main Road.

Late last month, the now incorporated group welcomed Member for Eureka Michaela Settle and Moorabool Shire councillors for a site visit to update them on the project’s progress.

The war memorial will recognise people from Mount Egerton and Bungal who served in World War One, World War Two, and subsequent conflicts, and will be created in partnership with the shire.

Designs for the park include both traditional and more contemporary elements including a stone memorial at the western end of the site, a series of metal panels with the names of fallen servicemen and women, and a gazebo with seating and interpretive signs.

The committee has been allocated $7200 from the State’s Tiny Towns Fund to cover some of the costs of establishing a permanent place for commemoration and reflection.

“Mount Egerton’s new memorial park will be a special place for the community to come together, remember our history, and honour those who served,” Ms Settle said.

“Projects like this show how even our smallest towns can create meaningful, lasting spaces that future generations will cherish.”

A pool of Yaloak South Wind Farm, veterans’, and Community Bank Ballan and District grants the committee has successfully received amount to almost $24,000.

Committee member Jessie Davis said support for and interest in the project across the district has been positive, and that volunteers have also applied for a Moorabool Wind Farm grant.

The committee aims to hold a service on site for Remembrance Day 2025, and would ideally like to see the memorial park works complete by Anzac Day 2026.

The parcel of green space was donated to the Moorabool Shire by a neighbouring landowner.

The project is supported by grassroots groups including Ballan RSL and the Ballarat Arch of Victory-Avenue of Honour Committee.