Grabben Gullen residents joined Remembrance Day services to pause at the eleventh hour to honour Australia's defence personnel.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The service was held at the new war memorial on the grounds of the Grabben Gullen Community Hall, which was completed earlier this year in time for Anzac Day services.
The Grabben Gullen Progress Association imagined the war memorial as a tribute to the lasting legacy of the men and women from the district who served their country.
It was designed by architect John Seligman, who was also the site architect for the Sir John Monash Centre in Bretonneux, France. The $100 million Centre is a war museum and commemoration of the Anzac experience on the Western Front.
"The sentiment is exactly the same," Mr Seligman said.
Mr Seligman, with his wife Clare, moved to Grabben Gullen in 2019 and joined the Grabben Gullen Progress Association. It was during a concept planning meeting that Mr Seligman began sketching his ideas on the back of the minutes.
Residents said it was fated rather than coincidence that he showed up during the planning stages.
Mr Seligman used similar concepts to war memorials that are the centrepieces of many French villages.
He explains that the geometry of the poles and their placement in a crescent shape is symbolic of the mind and soul. The audience seating completes the curve and welcomes the present to be inclusive of the past.
It honours the journey of the soldiers to the Western Front, and the landscaping mimics the battle trenches and the hardship of battle. He has used locally-sourced red basalt from the land the soldiers fought to defend. The gardens showcase Gallipoli and Anzac related plantings of Rosemary, Grevillea, and Roses.
Read also:
Paul Howard dedicated hours researching the service and wartime records for the men and women from the district. He worked with government and veteran departments to ensure the memorial was opened.
Patrick McCormack and the president of the Grabben Gullen Progress Association Scott Montgomery carried out construction works, and Viv and George Shepherd landscaped the gardens.
Many other community members donated materials and services to the project and are recognised on a plaque at the memorial.
The war memorial was opened in April 2020, around the time the village celebrated its 200th anniversary.
