Grant sought to refurbish Gunnedah's Eighth Division Avenue Memorial

Gunnedah Shire Council will apply for grant funding to improve the Eighth Division Memorial Avenue and Remembrance Wall Memorial.

The upgrade was suggested by councillor Juliana McArthur who said the memorial, dedicated to the Gunnedah members of the Australian Army infantry division, is in urgent need of repair.

“I drive along Eighth Division Memorial Avenue quite a bit and I’ve seen the state of disrepair it’s in,” Cr McArthur said.

“I’ve discovered there are two grant funding programs available.”

“I haven’t had the chance to talk to the Gunnedah RSL Sub Branch about it but funding closes in February. We’ll see if we can obtain funding then talk to the RSL about it,” the councillor said at December’s ordinary meeting.

“I didn’t realise this is the only memorial of its type in Australia for the Eighth Division. It was commemorated in 1957 and restored in 1988 as a place of remembrance and generally to remember our history and sacrifices made.”

Council agreed to apply for grant funding under the Community War Memorial Fund or the Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants by the early February 2025 closing dates.

It was suggested the improvements could include “cleaning and repairing signage, the flagpole site, the bronze plaques, and the Remembrance Wall plaques”.

It would also involve planting “prostrate, hardy native vegetation under the memorial trees as a low-maintenance ground cover”.

If grant funding is secured, council agreed it would liaise with the RSL sub-branch, the Gunnedah Urban Landcare Group or other relevant community groups to make the improvements.

The memorial was upgraded in 2022 when the brass plaques with inscriptions were removed from the base of the avenue trees, refurbished and installed on display boards at the location.

Several colour, information display boards detailing the history of the Eighth Division and its soldiers were also installed at the time, but no improvements to the local vegetation were made.

Gunnedah RSL Sub-Branch secretary Jan Commins said although any discussion would have to go before its executive and membership, she saw no reason why members would object to further improvements to the memorial.

Meanwhile, work is ongoing by the sub-branch to secure funding to upgrade other memorials in the Gunnedah district starting with the cenotaph in Conadilly Street.

History of the Eighth Division Memorial Avenue.

The concept of establishing a memorial for local service personnel who served in the Eighth Division during World War II was put forward by local resident Tom Bowden in 1956.

Mr Bowden, who served with the Eighth Division and became a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese, didn’t live to see the realisation of his concept but it was carried on by a small committee of former POWs who decided to construct two central kerbed areas in the former Hill Street – later renamed Eighth Division Memorial Avenue.

An estimated 2000 people attended the dedication service on December 9, 1957. The memorial was dedicated by former commanding officer, Lieut-General Gordon Bennett.

It was agreed the memorial would also recognise those of the RAAF, RAN, and AANS and men of the Seventh Division who also lost their lives.

Gunnedah’s The Way We Were publication shows a photograph of Sister Vivian Bullwinkel as the official guest at a service for the Eighth Division Memorial Avenue in 1960. Sister Bullwinkel was the only survivor of the massacre by the Japanese on Radji Beach, Banka Island, in which 21 nurses were killed on February 16, 1942, after the sinking of the SS Vyner Brooke. She was held at Pelambang prisoner-of-war camp for three-and-a-half years. Sister Bullwinkel was pictured inspecting a guard on honour of servicemen with Tom Morris, right, one of the driving forces in the establishment of the memorial avenue. Closest to camera is Geroge Scrimgeour (RAAF).

– History information courtesy The Way We Were