MEMORIALS TO GET FUNDING BOOST AFTER ANZAC DAY

NSW communities are being encouraged to apply for funding grants of up to $10,000 to restore and protect their war memorials.
 
Acting Minister for Veterans Geoff Lee said public commemorations at community war memorials didn’t happen on Anzac Day this year because of COVID-19 but it only highlighted their importance.
 
“A lot of people missed the special connection you get from attending your local war memorial with your community on Anzac Day,” said Mr Lee
 
“That just reinforces the need to make sure these precious monuments are protected not just for this generation but for many more to come.
 
“Our war memorials give us a place to reflect and pay our respects to those brave soldiers who fought for the freedom we enjoy today.”
 
The Community War Memorials Fund grants help protect, conserve and repair war memorials in NSW.
 
Funds can be requested for specialist heritage advice or physical conservation work on halls, honour rolls, avenues of trees and stone monuments.
 
One of the previous sites to benefit from the grants program was the Ronald Jack Cooper Memorial Gates at Eurongilly. They commemorate local resident Jack Cooper who was killed in action in 1941 when his plane went missing off the coast of Libya.
 
The gates were erected in 1955 and feature plaques with the names of members of the local community who served in the Second World War and Vietnam War.
 
Applications close on 27 July 2020.
 
For more information: www.veterans.nsw.gov.au/heritage/community-war-memorials-fund/