Ash Wednesday MemorialPrint Page 
The park was established to commemorate the people who were killed in the Ash Wednesday bushfires of February 1983. 21 lives and 186 homes and other buildings were lost in this community.
On February 16, 1983, 75 people died when fires swept through communities in Victoria and South Australia. Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed. For many of those who lost loved ones, life has been a struggle ever since.
The town of Upper Beaconsfield, in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne, was one of the hardest hit. In near 40 degrees Celsius heat, strong winds whipped up a huge fire that surged through the tinder dry bushland to the west of the town.
A dozen volunteer firefighters were among those killed. Their trucks were unable to protect them from the intense heat. 21 lives were lost at Upper Beaconsfield that night : 12 firefighters and nine residents.
Location
| Address: | Salisbury Road, Ash Wednesday Memorial Park, Beaconsfield Upper, 3808 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -38.005398 Long: 145.411423 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Park |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Disaster |
| Sub-Theme: | Fire |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 16-February-1983 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 16-February-1983 |
Dedication
This park is a memorial to those who lost their lives as a result of the "Ash Wednesday" bushfires in Upper Beaconsfield
16 February 1983.
Residents
Betty Adamson Allison Medwin
Lionel Stephens Kerry Medwin
Margaret Stephens Dorothy Bredin
Chris Griffiths Kathleen Andrews
Shirley Thomson
Narre Warren Rural Panton Hill Rural
Fire Brigade Fire Brigade
John Minett Bill Marsden
Dorothy Balcombe Peter Singleton
Lloyd Donovan Maurice Atkinson
Murray Forsythe Stuart Duff
Neil Henry Neville Jeffery
Darrell Wilkes
Casual Firefighter
Keith Busbridge
