1969 Lara BushfirePrint Page 
The sculptured memorial commemorates and reflects the 17 lives lost and the devastation of the Lara Bushfire of the 8th January 1969. The bluestone plinth and plaque were dedicated on the 11th January 2009 to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the devastating fires. The plinth and plaque containing a symbolic sculpture are incorporated into the memorial which was unveiled in 2010.
The memorial also contains six stainless steel plaques mounted on a deep red background on a sculptured interpretive panel which narrates the devastation in the aftermath of the fire. Four photographs show significant landmarks and two text plaques tell the story and list the 17 people who perished in that fire. The final plaque gives a brief background to the memorial project and links to the enamel plaque on the bluestone plinth supporting the grass sculpture.
On the 8th January 1969, 280 fires broke out in Victoria. Of these,12 grass fires reached major proportions and burnt out 250,000 hectares. Areas seriously affected included Lara, Daylesford, Dulgana, Yea, Darraweit, Kangaroo Flat and Korongvale. Twenty-three people died, including 17 motorists at Lara, trapped on the Geelong to Melbourne freeway. The fires also destroyed 230 houses, 21 other buildings and more than 12,000 stock.
Note : In January 2019, a plaque was erected at the point of origin of the fire. It is located at the corner of Bacchus Marsh Road and Carrrs Road, Lara, on the east side of the intersection. The fire started on a property called Wolloomanata Station from an unattended burnoff from the day before.
Location
| Address: | Walkers Road , next to Library, Lara , 3212 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -38.021876 Long: 144.410901 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Disaster |
| Sub-Theme: | Fire |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 08-January-1969 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 08-January-1969 |
| Artist: | George & Jan Francis |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 14th November, 2010 |
|---|
LARA BUSHFIRES EMERGENCY
40th ANNIVERSARY
08 - 01 - 1969
This plaque was dedicated by Betty Davey-Walker
on 11 - 01 - 2009, in memory of those who lost their
lives and to the people of Lara affected by the
disaster.
To Commemorate
and
Remember
Plaques on display panel
Plaque :
This Memorial to the 1969 LARA BUSHFIRE was unveiled on November 14 2010 by Betty Davey-Walker, bushfire survivor, local identity and instigator of this project. The desire and committment for this memorial grew from the 40th year commemoration of the Lara Bushfires held on 8 / 1 / 2009.
Lions Club Lara Fire Brigade
Victorian Bluestone Quarries
Lara District Chamber of Commerce
Lara District Community Bank Branch Bendigo Bank
City of Greater Geelong Roraima Nursery
Lara Landscape Moongate Studios
Plaque :
The 17 Who Perished
In The 1969
Lara Bushfire
[ Names ]
