By JESSE GRAHAM
A WORKING group is assessing options for a new Black Saturday memorial which may be established in Marysville.
A large memorial, featuring the names of those who died in the area, could be constructed in Lions Park, Marysville, in a two-part project.
Murrindindi Shire Mayor Margaret Rae said the Murrindindi Bushfire Memorials Working Group was advising the council about new memorials to be constructed across the shire.
Cr Rae said there was public support for a memorial to be constructed in each town that suffered a loss of human life and for two large memorials to be constructed on each side of the shire.
The two memorials would be representative of the two fires that hit the areas on 7 February 2009.
Cr Rae said the Murrindindi Bushfire Memorial Project had developed a design brief and finished selecting sites for the memorials after consulting the community.
The working group recommended one of the large memorials to be placed in Lions Park, while the other would lie in the Frank Thompson Reserve in Kinglake.
The large memorials, according to the working group, should feature the names of all the people who died in the area, though families of the deceased can opt to refuse a listing.
Cr Rae said that the council had been in discussion with philanthropic groups to gauge interest in supporting the memorials’ construction.
“If this funding is not available, the project will be re-scoped to ensure that it is within budget and the long-term maintenance costs are minimised,” she said.
She said that, once costs for the project are determined, expressions of interest will start for the design and construction of the memorials.
Anyone interested in joining the working group is asked to contact project consultant Jenny Branton on 0417 532 344.
