THE years may pass by and memories become distant of wars fought, but that won’t be the case in Whitton.
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It was announced on Tuesday by NSW Minister for Veterans’ Affairs David Elliott the community had been successful in receiving a grant to upgrade its war memorial area at Whitton Park.
The Leeton RSL Sub-branch received the funds to the tune of about $1800 to upgrade the memorial signage at the park, which is currently tattered and worn.
“I love getting out to Macquarie Street and coming out to the country,” Mr Elliott said.
“This is my first trip to (Whitton).
“We’re drawing to a conclusion the commemorations of the centenary of Anzac Day … what we’ve done over the course of these commemorations is undertake various projects to upgrade and maintain memorials like this one.”
It was on Anzac Day this year that the idea of upgrading the area in Whitton first came to the attention of the Sub-branch after noticing the fading lettering during the annual service in the town.
Since then, the Sub-branch teamed up with Whitton resident Tracy Catlin to apply for the grant funding and show how the project would go ahead.
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“It’s fantastic news,” member Karleen Reilly said.
“We worked with Tracy to find out the history of it and put it all into an application.
“It’s not a project in the thousands and thousands of dollars, but it means something to the community here and it’s pleasing to have the minister come down to announce it and see where the money will be used.”
Leeton Shire Council will be completing the work and it is hoped this will be finished by the end of the year.
Member for Murray Austin Evans was also at the announcement and said it was important the Anzac legacy continued.
“This year we mark 100 years since the signing of the Armistice,” he said.
“These grants ensure the story of our Diggers lives on in local communities like (Whitton). These projects ensure that we are educating the next generation about the Anzac legacy.”
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