Memorial salute to servicemen

By Melissa Donchi
MILLGROVE residents will pay tribute to their local WWI servicemen by erecting a memorial after receiving funding from the Federal Government.
The Warburton Advancement League received a grant of $4000 as part of the Federal Government’s $66,000 Saluting Their Service commemorations program to acknowledge the role of veterans in Victoria.
President of the Warburton Advancement League Jesse James said the idea to apply for government funding came from one of the league’s members, Brian Halit.
“Brian came up with the idea and put an application together and applied for the grant, Mr James said. “It’s been his project, really.”
Mr James said the league had applied for numerous grants in the past but hadn’t always been successful.
“There’s a lot of money available for grants but there are just as many applications for them,” he said.
“Sometimes you apply for $5000 and get $1000, not everyone gets something.”
Mr Halit said he came up with the idea after he saw the original memorial for the soldiers deteriorating.
“After the First World War there was a memorial of trees planted in the main street of Millgrove to honour those who had served,” Mr Halit said.
“Over the years a few of those trees have either died or been cut down leaving just 14 of them still standing.
“So I thought it would be good to erect a permanent memorial for the soldiers so when the last trees go we still have something to remember them by.”
Mr Halit got the support of the Warburton RSL before contacting the community branch of the Bendigo Bank in Warburton which donated $2000 to the project.
He then approached the Federal Government and came away with another $4000.
With a bit of help from the community Mr Halit thinks the memorial could be finished by winter this year.
“Hopefully we will be able to unveil it on Remembrance Day,” Mr Halit said.
The memorial will be in the form of a big piece of rock, sourced locally, with a bronzed plaque on it and will be erected in the park in the main street where the old railway station was.
It has taken Mr Halit less than 12 months to get the project up and running and he says he couldn’t have done it alone.
“My wife helped me fill out the application and people in the local community have been very generous with their time,” he said.
“The point of this funding was so we could give these soldiers something permanent to remember them by,” Mr Halit said.
“Maybe in 50 years’ time when all the trees are gone, our rock will still be there.”