Like stoic soldiers they have waited for their moment in Dubbo’s history.
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Two sandstone plinths bearing bronze waratahs were installed in Victoria Park’s Memorial Drive weeks ago.
They commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, which ended World War I (WWI) on November 11 of 1918.
At 10am on Friday the memorial will be dedicated and blessed.
It was commissioned after Dubbo Regional Council formed a Centenary of Armistice committee involving Dubbo RSL sub-branch.
The council, sub-branch, Dubbo RSL Memorial Club and the federal government have together paid for the memorial made mostly with local hands.
Total cost of the project is expected to be $225,000.
“The RSL club and the RSL sub-branch both contributed $16,000 that went towards the replication of the bronze waratahs,” a council spokesman said.
“These were completed locally by Brett Garling, of Garling Gallery.
“The design for the footings were completed by Barnson, the footing installation by Paul Ensor, the bronze lettering sourced from Italy and installed by Abbey Funeral Home and floodlighting of the plinths by Macquarie Electrical, all local.
“The sandstone plinths were supplied and installed through KD Stoneworks, of Tumut, following a competitive quotation process.”
The replication of the bronze waratahs on the cenotaph for the new memorial have given the two structures a “strong connection”, the council says.
Mayor Ben Shields, who tells of federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton “quickly finding us a cheque” of about $13,000 for the memorial, is inviting the public to the dedication.
“We know that 256 servicemen and women from Dubbo died in action or as a result of wounds or illness during World War I,” the mayor said.
“However, many people right across our region and millions throughout the world, both military and civilian, were killed, wounded and personally affected by the war.
“Armistice Day is an important date in history to be remembered, especially for all those people who gave their lives so that we have the freedoms we each enjoy today.”
