Australian Defence Force Memorial Bell Tower, South Tamworth

About

The War Memorial Bell Tower, made of polished black granite, is dedicated to the memory and service of the men and women of the Australian Defence Force. It is located on the western side of Mary Help of Christians Church, in the parish of St Edward's, South Tamworth.  The memorial features images sandblasted in gold on each of its four sides. The northern side depicts the military emblems of the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force as well as the emblem of Army Chaplins. On the western side of the memorial is a large image of a soldier, based on Alan Somerville's statue of the Anzac Soldier on the Anzac Bridge in Sydney. The design also includes ten red poppies, symbolising the 10 decades (100 years) that Legacy has provided assistance to veterans' families. The southern side is decorated with an upturned sword in the shape of a cross surrounded by wattle, and the eastern side displays the emblem of St Edward's parish. When the parish of St Edward's prepared to celebrate its 60th anniversary, the church learned that many of the founding parishioners had wanted the church to be dedicated as a war memorial, since many from the parish had served in Vietnam or Korea. After consulting with the RSL sub-Branch and Tamworth Legacy, the parish developed a plan for the war memorial and received a grant of $70,000 from the Commonwealth's 'Saluting Their service Commemorative Grants Program' towards the project. On 21 September 2022, the 51st anniversary of the Battle of Nui Le in South Vietnam, Barnaby Joyce MP joined Reverend Deacon Paul Manvell and Reverend Father Paul Aguilar in a groundbreaking ceremony for the memorial. The bell tower was dedicated on Tuesday 4 July 2023 at 9.00 a.m. Following the dedication the Legacy Memorial Torch marched past the memorial. The bell is rung twice a day at midday and 6pm, to remind people of the sacrifice made by so many.

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