War Memorial Win for Townsville
Three war memorial plaques in Oonoonba which have been either relocated or gone missing will be restored after Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence Phillip Thompson raised questions over their disappearance.
Three monuments on the site of bombings in 1942 were erected between 1992 and 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Japanese air raid over Townsville and the 50th anniversary of the Victory in the Pacific.
Last month Mr Thompson was contacted by concerned community member, Ray Schinkel, who alerted him that access to the monument site was now prohibited. On Mr Schinkel’s most recent yearly Anzac Day vigil at the site, he noticed the plaques missing.
The land is owned by Economic Development Queensland, a property development arm of the Queensland Government, prompting fears the important site was at risk of being lost to state government development.
“I visited the site with Mr Schinkel and it was very clear that restoration of the plaques, and access to the site was important for our community and garrison city,” Mr Thompson said.
“After writing to the state Labor minister responsible for the site demanding answers, the state government said it didn’t know where the three plaques were, but would now arrange to have them reinstated.
“While it’s very disappointing some of the original plaques have gone missing, it is great to hear that replacements will be installed,” he said.
Concerns remain about the accessibility to the site for locals to reflect and commemorate, with the State Labor Government stating that public access would not be granted until development is completed – despite there being no construction plans on the horizon.
Mr Thompson said he feared that meant the site would never be re-opened.
“This is a war site that should be visited by our Townsville community, to honour this significant part of our history,” he said.
“I’m calling on the State Labor Government to preserve the memorial site and ensure it can be accessed.”
In 2014 the State Labor Government took ownership of the parcel of land where the monument was erected, which is part of The Village development. The site was part of a master plan to develop 985 residential lots.
ENDS
