Gerringong RSL sub-Branch Anzac Memorial

About

This memorial consists of a Lone Pine tree, a flagpole with a walkway leading to it, and two dedication plaques mounted on basalt stones on the western and eastern ends of the walkway.  At a general meeting of the Gerringong RSL sub-Branch in 2013, it was determined something special would be held for the Centenary of Anzac commemorations in 2015. The Gerringong RSL Soldiers Memorial Hall was not an ideal venue for services such as Anzac Day, because of its location in a high-traffic area in the town centre. An area on the eastern headland of Gerringong, at the intersection of the eastern end of Belinda Street and the southern end of Tasman Drive, was identified as a more ideal location to hold a dawn service. The area already had a descendant of the original Lone Pine, which was planted in 2004 and accompanied by a history plaque attached to a bushrock. The sub-Branch approached Kiama Municipal Council to gain approval for a flagpole, and a plaque attached to a similar stone, to be erected in the area next to the Lone Pine. The council provided and erected the flagpole and the stone for the plaque. The dawn service was held at 6am on Anzac Day, 25 April 2015 and was so well attended, with approximately 1,200 people, it has continued to be held at this location ever since. In 2015, the sub-Branch received a grant from the Australian Government's Department of Veterans' Affairs to construct a footpath from Tasman Drive to the flagpole, and to place gardens along the path. This work was also completed with the help of the council. The path was unveiled in 2018, as well as a plaque commemorating 100 years since the cessation of the First World War. The original Lone Pine stands approximately 10 metres south.

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