\nA 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.
\nA 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.
\nThe winning art installation \u2013 named \u2018Resting Poppy\u2019 by artist Dean Bowen \u2013 features a scattered, three-metre tall poppy, made up of a combination of different-sized petals.
\nWhen viewed from a designated spot, the poppy will align to form a full flower, with soldiers\u2019 original nameplates woven throughout the petals.
\nBacchus Marsh RSL President Cherrison Lawton said the piece, which she dubs \u2018the thinking man\u2019s poppy\u2019, symbolises \u201cthe separation of war,\u201d but suggests that \u201cbeing able to be [standing] in the position where [the poppy] all comes together, it\u2019s like in peace.\u201d
\n\u201cFor me, the poppy being on the ground is very humble, and it\u2019s a very fitting place to memorialise and think about the cost of war \u2013 even just the mud and the blood being shattered \u2013 but that\u2019s part of the \u2018thinking man\u2019s poppy\u2019,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cEven the names passing through [the memorial], it\u2019s 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.\u201d
\n \u201cTo us it\u2019s an amazing memorial, because it\u2019s bringing in some sense, the completion of the Avenue of Honour,\u201d said Ms Lawton.
\nThe 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.
\nThis 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.
\nA grant for Stage 1, which focused on the planning and design process, was funded by the Commonwealth Government Centenary of Armistice Grant 2018.
\nDean Bowen, the winning artist, also has an uncanny connection to the Avenue \u2013 his great-grandfather Archie Davis is named on one of the original trees.
\nMr Bowen said the project is a \u201cdeeply personal one for me and my family.\u201d
\n\u201cI 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,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cThe sculpture will convey the theme of remembrance and enhance and compliment the trees in the Avenue of Honour.\u201d
\nMs Lawton emphasised the heart of the project will be very community based.
\nThe 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.
\n\u201cWe would like to see as many of the people in the community and all businesses \u2013 whatever and whoever \u2013 to be really involved with this as a community project themselves,\u201d said Ms Lawton.
\n\u201cIf someone\u2019s got a skill or got an idea, we\u2019ll listen, and hopefully as a whole community we can actually have it happen,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cThe 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.\u201d
\nThe total cost of the project is estimated to be at around the $300,000-mark, which art consultant Mark Norton stressed was \u201ca really good deal\u201d for the Bacchus Marsh community.
\n\u201cThe community should understand that if this sculpture was a public sculpture in Melbourne, it would be commissioned \u2013 as most public sculptures are \u2013 and would cost over $500,000,\u201d he said.
\nThose who donate or contribute to the artwork in some way will be also \u201crecognised in some form\u201d, said Mr Norton, most likely a personalised plaque for donators and volunteers to keep, though no final decisions have yet been made.
\nThe 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.
\nIf you\u2019re looking to get involved with the project, contact Bacchus Marsh RSL on 5367 1855 or email secretary@bacchusmarshrsl.com.au.<\/p>\n
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Photo – Trevor McBain
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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 […]<\/p>\n