Dubbo is set to commemorate the Centenary of Anzac Day, following the opening of the interactive Memorial Walk in Victoria Park this week.
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The walk, which runs between the Cenotaph and the newly revamped Rotary Pond, was unveiled in a ceremony on Thursday.
Ten plinths line the walk, with each featuring a local experience of the First World War engraved on a plaque, as well as a QR code which, when scanned with a smartphone, gives people access to a longer, video version of the story.
The stories range from local racehorse, Dipso, which served at Gallipoli, to the military training camp at Dubbo.
“The idea of this is to really capture some of that history, capture some of the story,” Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson said.
“We thought it was important to try and capture some of the younger members of our community who would be attracted by using their phone and a QR code to find out some more information.”
Dubbo RSL Sub Branch President Thomas Gray said today’s youth in Dubbo were already captured by the Anzac legend, but it was important to show how the war impacted Dubbo at a local level.
“We lost 256 young men in the Western Front and Gallipoli,” Mr Gray said.
“You’ve got to remember the population was only about 5000 then so that was a lot of our young men.”
The stories and films were produced by Western Plains Cultural Centre Manager Andrew Glassop and Collections Officer Jessica Moore, who spent 18 months on the historic project.
“It’s something unique in the sense that it’s telling the whole community story of the first world war,” Ms Moore said.
“We were very conscious of wanting to be able include the entire community, and how the war affected the community back at home as well, because in a town the size of Dubbo, every boy that left was profoundly felt.
“The war was tens of thousands of kilometres away but it was directly felt back here, people really were committed to doing whatever they could to help. A war that far away did have a impact back home.”
The entire project cost the council approximately $40,000.