A GRANT has been secured to undertake stage one of a walk in the heart of Penola commemorating defence force personnel who have served from the area.
The walk will focus on the new Penola Town Square to recognise people who have actively served in war or armed conflicts over the past 100 years, including soldier settlers who settled in Penola after World War II.
Town Square Working Group member Anne Johnson said some paid the ultimate sacrifice with their life and for many who returned home, the horrors of war never left them.
“We wish to honour their service, sacrifice and contribution to our country and to our community,” Ms Johnson said.
The Penola Town Square Commemorative Walk will consist of pavers engraved with the names of local men and women who actively served.
Penola and District Business and Tourism Association auspiced the grant, which is a collaborative initiative between the Coonawarra Penola RSL and Penola Town Square Working Group.
Funding has been secured for the first 100 pavers, which will feature 200 engraved names.
Around 302 names are expected to be included in the walk.
The Penola Town Square Working Group is actively seeking funding to purchase more pavers to complete the initiative.
The Coonawarra Penola RSL has been compiling the names for several years and its work will be applied to form the foundation pavers of the new town square.
Extensive research has been conducted by the town’s local history group, searching RSL documents and online sources and seeking information from community members.
“Although every effort has gone into making sure the information is correct, we realise that this is a complex area and we may have missed someone or have some incorrect information,” Ms Johnson said.
“We are seeking feedback from the community to ensure the information we have engraved on the pavers is as accurate as possible.”
The list of names will be posted in the window of the Balnaves Never Too Old building and copies will be available at the Penola Visitor Information Centre.
The commemorative walk will officially open on Anzac Day 2018.
A grant was provided through the Anzac Day Commemoration Fund, which supports projects commemorating the centenary of World War I, with Wattle Range Council also backing the project.
The fund was established to ensure the contribution of men and women who have served Australia in time of war or armed conflict, or in international peace keeping operations, are recognised and commemorated in South Australia.
Coordinators of the project can be contacted via email at commempavers@internode.on.net if any alterations to information are needed.
All feedback should be provided by October 27.
