New war memorial to salute the service of local veterans
A new war memorial will be installed at the Townsville Totally and Permanently Disabled Ex-Servicepersons Association to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australian service personnel in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
The Association has been awarded a Federal Government grant of $9,920 to complete the project under the Saluting Their Service program.
Federal Member for Herbert and veteran Phillip Thompson said the installation at the Rooney Street Centre in South Townsville would be a place for members and visitors to stop and reflect.
“The TPI Association is such an important organisation in our community which exists to help local veterans who’ve served our nation proudly,” Mr Thompson said.
“This is the first memorial to be installed on the site and will provide somewhere for people to take a moment, reflect and pay tribute to those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country.”
TPI Association President Warren “Pop” Duscha said the stone memorial would include imagery reflecting the contribution of all three services and a plaque honouring those who have been permanently scarred as a result of their service.
“We’ve been around since 1951. We’ve got nearly 500 members now, all through different conflicts. It’s something for the young ones to have a look at and think about the sacrifices of veterans that should never be forgotten,” he said.
“With Phillip’s support we were hoping we’d get it, $9,500 we’ve saved ourselves. Most of our income comes from raffles so it takes a long time to raise $9,000.”
Applications are open for the next round of Saluting Their Service grants, with more information available at grants.gov.au.
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