City of Coffs Harbour Council has given in-principle support for the reinstatement of the 1923 Woolgoolga and District Great War Memorial, which disappeared from public sight last century.
The 4.4-metre tall sandstone and granite structure was dismantled in 1999 and has lain in storage since – with the Woolgoolga RSL sub-Branch and Rotary working together for the memorial’s restoration and return to a place of prominence.
The Northern Beaches Memorial Project team estimates the cost of the works at $80,000, with $30,000 already pledged by local residents and organisations.
At its recent meeting, Council resolved to consult the community to assess support for the project, and to determine a preferred location for the memorial.
“The sub-Branch is passionate about this project and the City will now gauge community sentiment,” said Mayor, Nikki Williams.
When the memorial was taken down 26 years ago, the marble name-plaques of the WWI and WWII Fallen were removed and relocated to the replacement memorial at the Woolgoolga Diggers Club.
It is proposed these name plaques would be reinstated on the 1923 Memorial.
In tandem, the memorial outside the Diggers Club is to be modernised, and the sub-Branch wants to enhance that structure with inscriptions of post-Second World War campaigns and peacekeeping operations.
A report will be brought back to Council for consideration after the community consultation process.
