A NEW $150,000 war memorial has been installed at Wireless Hill Park.

It replaces the clock tower memorial at Civic Square in Booragoon, which will be decommissioned later this year, as part of Melville city council’s plan to transform the area into a mixed-use city centre.

The new memorial features a panoramic original photograph from WWI, life-size steel silhouettes and a centre piece with the inscription, “The people who serve to defend Australia are and were everyday people, ordinary men and women like you and me doing extraordinary things in extraordinary situations”.

The memorial will be illuminated and was developed in conjunction with the Applecross RSL.

• RSL members Denis Connelly, Rex Kaye and Greg Hunter at the new war memorial in Melville. Photo by Matthew Dwyer

RSL state vice-president Denis Connelly served in Vietnam in the RAAF and says the memorial is a fitting tribute.

“The location is better and will allow lots more people to attend services and ceremonies,” he says. “I worked in the construction side of things in Vietnam and helped build facilities for bomber two squadron. I think the design is excellent and ex-service men will be proud of it.”

Mayor Russell Aubrey says the memorial will be officially opened at this year’s ANZAC service at Wireless Hill.

“Following a two-year process, the city and the Applecross RSL sub-branch are thrilled to be able to present a new war memorial that honours those who served to help Australia during periods of conflict,” he says.

“‘The People’ will replace the existing clocktower memorial, to be used for both small and large ceremonies and we hope will become an iconic place of remembrance for many generations to come.”

A special community ceremony will be held to mark the decommissioning of the clock tower war memorial at a later date.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK