Resting place for plaques

By Meg Kennedy

It was 100-years ago the Bacchus Marsh community came together to immortalise those from the area who fought in World War I.
A century later, Bacchus Marsh RSL is calling for community members to help acknowledge the 464 servicemen and women from the district through a new memorial.
A competition launched last year began a search for a design that would symbolise the sacrifice made by those who fought; with the successful artwork unveiled to the public for the first time this past ANZAC Day.
The winning art installation – named ‘Resting Poppy’ by artist Dean Bowen – features a scattered, three-metre tall poppy, made up of a combination of different-sized petals.
When viewed from a designated spot, the poppy will align to form a full flower, with soldiers’ original nameplates woven throughout the petals.
Bacchus Marsh RSL President Cherrison Lawton said the piece, which she dubs ‘the thinking man’s poppy’, symbolises “the separation of war,” but suggests that “being able to be [standing] in the position where [the poppy] all comes together, it’s like in peace.”
“For me, the poppy being on the ground is very humble, and it’s a very fitting place to memorialise and think about the cost of war – even just the mud and the blood being shattered – but that’s part of the ‘thinking man’s poppy’,” she said.
“Even the names passing through [the memorial], it’s very symbolic of the journey people take. You come back to that certain place to stand, and you can see it all together, and just appreciate the peace that we live in today.”
“To us it’s an amazing memorial, because it’s bringing in some sense, the completion of the Avenue of Honour,” said Ms Lawton.
The Armistice Centenary Project, launched in March 2018 and led by Ms Lawton, followed the discovery of an apple-crate containing original plaques in Moorabool Council offices.
This led to a call out to the community if more plaques were sitting at home, leading to a discovery of new stories to be acknowledged.
A grant for Stage 1, which focused on the planning and design process, was funded by the Commonwealth Government Centenary of Armistice Grant 2018.
Dean Bowen, the winning artist, also has an uncanny connection to the Avenue – his great-grandfather Archie Davis is named on one of the original trees.
Mr Bowen said the project is a “deeply personal one for me and my family.”
“I feel extremely honoured to have been awarded this significant public sculpture commission by the Bacchus Marsh RSL and to be commemorating the service of the soldiers of the Bacchus Marsh area,” he said.
“The sculpture will convey the theme of remembrance and enhance and compliment the trees in the Avenue of Honour.”
Ms Lawton emphasised the heart of the project will be very community based.
The RSL is currently on the look-out for donations from the local and surrounding communities, but also support from businesses and contractors who can donate in the form of their time and expertise; such as materials, engineering, concreters, founding and landscaping, when construction of the artwork commences.
“We would like to see as many of the people in the community and all businesses – whatever and whoever – to be really involved with this as a community project themselves,” said Ms Lawton.
“If someone’s got a skill or got an idea, we’ll listen, and hopefully as a whole community we can actually have it happen,” she said.
“The RSL might be the steering body, but someone needs to take the lead; just like the community came together to celebrate the centenary at the Avenue of Honour [last August], everybody can own the beautiful artwork.”
The total cost of the project is estimated to be at around the $300,000-mark, which art consultant Mark Norton stressed was “a really good deal” for the Bacchus Marsh community.
“The community should understand that if this sculpture was a public sculpture in Melbourne, it would be commissioned – as most public sculptures are – and would cost over $500,000,” he said.
Those who donate or contribute to the artwork in some way will be also “recognised in some form”, said Mr Norton, most likely a personalised plaque for donators and volunteers to keep, though no final decisions have yet been made.
The memorial is set to begin construction this November, pending final approval from Moorabool Shire Council and VicRoads, with an aim for completion by late-2020.
If you’re looking to get involved with the project, contact Bacchus Marsh RSL on 5367 1855 or email [email protected].