Public consultation has now closed on the War Memorial upgrade.
Consultation identified the sandstone panels as the preferred option. The consultation report was considered by Council on 5 December 2022 and has been forwarded to the Kingston Beach RSL Sub Branch to inform their upgrade of the Memorial.
Consultation
Kingston Beach RSL Sub Branch would like to replace the current Gallipoli marker at Kingston Beach, Osborne Esplanade, with a memorial to better represent the sacrifices of those who suffered and lost their lives in war, especially local community members.
Where?
The proposed new memorial will be located on the same site of the Gallipoli marker which sits across the road from the Salty Dog, between 36-39 Osborne Esplanade on the Kingston Beach side of the road. This is the location where services are currently held.
The Kingston Beach RSL Sub Branch committee proposed two options for the replacement (see images below) and they want to know which memorial the community would prefer.
Why do we need a new war memorial?
The current Kingston War Memorial on the corner of Channel Highway and Freeman Street is not a suitable location to conduct large services. The number of people attending commemorative events now is significantly larger and the area requires more accessibility via level ground. This is why the Kingston RSL Sub Branch is proposing to upgrade the Kingston Beach site.
The images shown may differ slightly to the final design of the memorials, these images should be taken only as illustrated examples.
What are the proposed options?
- Sandstone Panels:
• The structure consists of three sandstone panels.
• 1.5m high, approximately 2 m wide with black granite services badges inset into them (420mm x 420 mm each). - Obelisk:
• Polished black and grey granite.
• 3.38m high.
• With three services badges engraved on three sides of the lower back section.
What happens to the plaques on the Gallipoli marker?
The two bronze plaques (from the existing Gallipoli marker) will be relocated onto the base of the obelisk or the back of the sandstone panels, depending on which version the community prefers.
50th year
2023 will mark the 50th year of the last Australian personnel to leave Vietnam after the war. The Kingston Beach RSL Sub Branch think it is very important to have the war memorial dedicated in this year.
Council’s involvement
Council have agreed to conduct the public engagement to gauge the community’s opinion on the design choices.
The RSL have agreed to pay for the design, construction and installation of the memorial at Kingston Beach.
The survey was open to the public from 5 October for three weeks.
