Plan to fast track Anzac repairs

An alternate funding plan for the restoration of the damaged Bunbury War Memorial will be considered by the Bunbury City Council next week following concerns the work may not be completed by April.

The revised funding model was introduced following doubt a Federal Anzac Centenary Grants Program grant would be approved in time for the Anzac Day centenary.

The new plan will provide a safety net which will mean the project can go ahead regardless of whether the Federal funding is confirmed.

If approved next week, the council will contribute an additional $25,000 for the project on top of the $15,000 it had already committed.

A $10,000 Lotterywest grant will account for the remainder of the $50,000 the restoration is now expected to cost under a revised quote.

The cost of the restoration, which would include stripping years of white paint from the Donnybrook stone cenotaph and repairing the broken nose and hat on the statue of the soldier, was originally expected to cost $45,000.

There was no discussion by councillors about the proposed funding method at Tuesday’s council briefing ahead of the meeting next week.

Bunbury Mayor Gary Brennan said last week he could not know when the Federal Anzac Centenary Grants Program funding would be approved. It was expected to be confirmed by the end of this month.

Once the funding has been allocated, plans for the work will need to be sent away for State Heritage Office approval before a test patch could be completed ahead of the complete restoration.

In a letter to the council in September last year, RSL president John Gelmi wrote to express his support for the restoration of the memorial. The letter highlighted the memorial’s state of disrepair, the need for repairs to the damaged statue and the upcoming Anzac Day Centenary as reasons for the restoration to take place “in a timely manner”.

Mr Gelmi has since expressed his concern the memorial restoration would not be completed in time for the centenary commemoration and that work on it could now make an impact on Remembrance Day services.

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