diggerdave
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Le Hamel Memorial to be reconstructed
Cobbers,
Following is a copy of the media release sent out by the Minister for Veterans Affairs
on Wednesday 21 March 2007:
Quote [Australian Government Committed to Reconstruction of Le Hamel Memorial
The Australian Government will soon call for design tenders for the reconstruction of the Australian Corps Memorial at Le Hamel on the Western Front in France.
The memorial was dedicated in 1998, but has deteriorated badly in the extreme climatic conditions of the area and has also been the target of vandalism.
When it was constructed the black granite facing tiles of the memorial were fixed to the concrete sub-structure using adhesive. This technique has proved unsatisfactory with moisture entering the adhesive area and expanding when frozen, resulting in tiles lifting and others falling off.
"The harsh climatic conditions have taken a significant toll on the memorial and considering its significance the Australian Government has an obligation to rebuild it so that it can serve as a fitting memorial for decades to come," Mr Billson said.
The Office of Australian War Graves has consulted with the original designers, the Somme authorities, the community of Le Hamel, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the RSL National Executive and other stakeholders about the need for reconstruction and to also seek views on an appropriate design.
"The consultations have revealed some support for the form and design of the original memorial to be retained. The Le Hamel community, for example, is of the view that the design has become synonymous with their village," Mr Billson said.
The Australian Government will take these views into consideration when deciding on a final design.
A new design brief will be developed reflecting the results of the consultation and the need for the refurbished memorial to be complementary to other Australian memorials along the Western Front as well as being durable in the prevailing climatic conditions.
A final design is expected to be decided on in the second half of this year and reconstruction is expected to be completed by July 2008. The Australian Government has budgeted funding in the 2006-07 budget to undertake the extensive reconstruction.] Unquote
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3/23/2007, 9:15 pm
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