Dimboola war memorial rededication

Dimboola War Memorial Avenue of Honour will be subject to rededication after a restoration project.

Dimboola RSL Sub-branch and Dimboola Memorial Secondary College have been working on the fouryear Avenue of Honour Restoration project, which will culminate with the unveiling of a new interpretive board.

The Sunday rededication will be on October 13.

Dimboola’s official war memorial is Dimboola Memorial Secondary College, DMSC, in Ellerman Street, which opened in May 1924.

The college is the only school in Victoria listed as a war memorial.

Workers have created a landscaped commemorative site overlooking the college’s ‘avenue’ and across a sports oval towards the Soldiers Memorial Hall.

A bench seat has been installed alongside the interpretive board.

College students were involved with preparation of the site.

The interruptive board will be unveiled by four people with DMSC connections, ranging from the elderly to a current student. RSL Victoria state president Dr Rob Webster OAM will lead the rededication.

Retired Warracknabeal Uniting Church minister Walter Sholl, a DMSC alumni and ex-army photographer, will lead the ceremony.

Victorian Avenues of Honour historian Dr Michael Taffe of Ballarat will be a special guest.

The restoration of the avenue started in 2016 following a 2015 inspection by arborist Ted Brown.

Mr Brown said ‘dieback’ had been a critical issue for the future of the avenue’s Mallee trees, native to Western Australia.

The trees were also impeding the progress of replacement spotted gum trees, planted in 2012.

A two-stage replanting program started with 15 Murray Bridge yellow gums replacing the former trees and continued as stage two with 20 more replacement trees, also dwarf yellow gums.

Project co-ordinator Charles Rees said he had been impressed with the progress of the restored avenue.

He thanked everyone who had helped in the project, which he said stood as a living memorial to Dimboola casualties in First and Second World and Korean wars.

Mr Rees said anyone keen to attend the ceremony, at 1.30pm for a 2pm start, could contact him on 0438 416 667.

He urged people to call to ensure there were enough programs available and sufficient afternoon tea to cater for the historic occasion.