AS the Centenary of Anzac commemoration draws to a close, soil from Muswellbrook’s Memorial Grove was collected on Tuesday to form a respectful addition to the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park.
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Muswellbrook Shire mayor Martin Rush joined Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon, Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen and Muswellbrook RSL Sub-Branch president Craig Ross, who brought along an original issue shovel, at the memorial to gather the sample.
“Soil from the Muswellbrook War Memorial will soon proudly sit within the new Hall of Service of the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park,” Cr Rush said.
“The sample encapsulates the long and distinguished history of enlistees from the shire and it is fitting that they be honoured at a national memorial.”
Muswellbrook will appear alongside the names and soil samples from other towns and suburbs with First World War memorials that have joined the Anzac Memorial Centenary Project Soil Collection Program.
Opened in 1934, the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park was built to commemorate the courage, endurance and sacrifice of Australians from NSW during the Great War (1914-18).
As the dead from that conflict were buried where they died, far from the communities that they came from, memorials were created in Australia as de facto grave sites and places of remembrance.
The Anzac Memorial Centenary Project Soil Collection Program aims to bring those who live remote from Sydney closer to the state memorial.
“We participated in a state-wide process to lift the awareness of the contribution our regional towns and communities made to the war time efforts during the First World War,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
“What they are doing in Sydney is establishing a memorial, which reflects each of the towns which provided enlistees.
“Of course, Muswellbrook was part of the Wallabies Recruitment March where they marched through local towns to collect volunteers.
“That soil will go to Sydney now, along with samples from other towns right around NSW, and sit alongside the name Muswellbrook on that important memorial.
“This is an appropriate recognition again of the sacrifices of those who served.”
Close to 17,000 plaques will be created, one for every locality in NSW that enlistees gave as their address, and the soil sample collected from the area will be displayed alongside the place name.
When the artwork is complete and on display, visitors to the memorial will be able to view information on each listed location via digital devices, including the details and date the soil was collected, the names of every enlistee from the shire and maps showing the area and surrounding memorials.
For more information visit www.anzac memorial.nsw.gov.au
