Community Collective complete their Cenotaph

On Thursday 25 November, the Carrick Community Committee (CCC) and local residents gathered to celebrate the completion of the Township’s new cenotaph.

The new cenotaph is a modest structure surrounded by a paved walkway and a simple wall, upon which lay the names of those who served. Situated within Carrick Memorial Park, it is a humbling reminder of sacrifices made.

The cenotaph’s construction was truly a community effort with local businesses, individuals and community organisations joining the CCC to contribute.

David Williams, Chair of the CCC said that they initially had other plans for the site.

“At first, we considered tree plantings and bollards but that resulted in some maintenance challenges so we had a shift in direction.”

With the support of Council, the committee applied for a number of grants to enable them to build a commemorative monument.

“We’re very proud of our little cenotaph. It’s not grand, but we feel the scale is appropriate for our township. Less than a hundred names are listed, however, at the time, this was a great sacrifice and a large proportion of Carrick’s small population,” David said.

The CCC thanked Council for helping them commence the project and for guiding them through the steps to achieve their goal. The project is a testament to the community spirit that thrives in Meander Valley. The Lions Club of Westbury made contributions toward the purchase of plaques, followed by the Lions Club of Hadspen South Esk, and in time, many others followed.

RSL Tasmania helped the community group navigate the appropriate protocols and some locals even became amateur historians; learning the various record keeping practices of the National Archives in order to verify records.

“It is a sombre feature to have in a park… a reminder of the cost of suffering and sorrow for families and indeed those who served. But with heavy hearts, we must maintain our dedication to these memorials. It’s essential we do so for our current and future generations, and out of respect for those passed,” David said.

The memorial was completed earlier this year, aided by funding from the Saluting the Service and Teddy Sheean Memorial grants programs and support from the Tasmanian Community Fund.

Council is proud to have assisted in this initiative, preserving these memories for our current and future generations.