ANZAC Memorial Garden Print Page

The garden commemorates the centenary of ANZAC and those who served in World War One. 

Soldiers from Townsville have braved storms and scorching heat to create a memorial garden in the north-west Queensland town of Boulia. The volunteers from Townsville's Third Combat Engineer Regiment have been visiting Boulia on and off for the past 18 months to work on an Anzac memorial garden.

Boulia Shire chief executive officer Lynn Moore said the group endured the full gamut of weather conditions during construction. "When they first arrived it was over 40 [degrees Celsius] and we have had several dust storms and ... then to top it off the other night they were working and we had our first shower of rain for such a long time, so they were working in the rain," she said.

The garden will provide a dedicated place for people to pay their respects at the cenotaph. The plants have been chosen so the garden changes with the seasons.

"When we have our functions and our memorial services, instead of surrounding the cenotaph as we do at the moment — it is actually in the road — people will be able to sit in the garden itself facing the cenotaph, so it will be just beautiful," she said.

The initial plan was to have the garden ready for this year's Anzac centenary celebrations, but the soldiers were called away to assist with the recovery of Vanuatu following Cyclone Pam.

The garden will be finished for Remembrance Day services this month, and Ms Moore said the Boulia community were indebted to those who contributed to the project. "Without the hard work and the dedication of the soldiers and the ex-veterans on this project it just wouldn't have been completed," she said.
ABC News, 6 November 2015.

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