McCORMACK DELIVERS SALUTING THEIR SERVICE GRANTS TO COOLAMON, COOTAMUNDRA-GUNDAGAI, TEMORA AND WAGGA WAGGA
Plans to erect a nationally significant memorial to Australia’s iconic Light Horse soldiers and their mounts in Wagga Wagga have received a massive boost with the Federal Government delivering a $150,000 grant through the Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program.
Member for Riverina and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the grant was one of four awarded in the Riverina totalling $220,060.
Mr McCormack announced the grants in Wagga Wagga’s Victory Memorial Gardens while attending a commemorative service in honour of the famous World War I mounted Charge of the Light Horse Brigade 103 years ago today.
On the afternoon of 31 October 1917, the 4th Light Horse Brigade charged across the desert and stormed Turkish defences to take the strategic Middle Eastern town of Beersheba.
Mr McCormack said the $150,000 Saluting Their Service Grant had been awarded to the National Servicemen’s Association (Wagga Wagga and District Incorporated), which has a Light Horse Memorial Committee driving the project.
The memorial will be a life-sized bronzed statue of a rider and horse galloping into battle as was done in the Middle East in World War I.
“The proposed memorial will honour the service and sacrifice of soldiers from the Riverina and South West Slopes who have served their nation through the Light Horse and will be a place for people from all around Australia to come and pay their respects,” Mr McCormack said.
“The Light Horse has nationally significant roots in the Riverina and South West Slopes beginning with the forming up in 1887 of ‘F’ Troop Murrumbidgee Light Horse at Wagga Wagga, Junee and Eurongilly and then the first enrolments of the 1st Australian Horse under Captain James Alexander Mackay at Murrumburrah in 1897.
“From those early foundations, Riverina men served their country as Mounted Infantry in the Boer War under the 1st Australian Horse and NSW Mounted Rifles.
“In World War One, Light Horse regiments included the 1st, 6th, 7th and 12th Light Horse regiments, fighting at Gallipoli, in the Sinai and Palestine and some on the Western front.
“In World War Two, the 21st Light Horse Regiment (AIF) was drawn from the Riverina and South West Slopes, continuing to serve mounted in the North Australian Observation Corps and dismounted in armoured corps.
“The Light Horse tradition in the Riverina continues to this day thanks to troops such as the Riverina Light Horse Troop (Wagga Wagga) and the 7th Light Horse Troops ALHA Gundagai and Harden-Murrumburrah.”
The grants announcement comes as Riverina and Central West residents prepare to commemorate Remembrance Day on 11 November.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester said the recipients of this round of grant funding were making a vital contribution to preserving our military history and bringing the community together through projects and activities which commemorated our service personnel.
“Community-led commemorative projects play a very important part in helping Australians learn about the crucial role of our service personnel and recognising their courage and sacrifice in serving our nation,” Mr Chester said.
“These grants will assist local communities, from funding restoration work and flagpole installations, to supporting theatre performances and online commemorative websites, which are just some of the projects receiving support this round.”
Mr McCormack said the three other Riverina electorate Saluting Their Service grants were:
$51,360 to Temora Aviation Museum Incorporated to enable an interactive online self-guided reality tour of the museum;
$10,000 to Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council to assist with an upgrade of the Albert Park Memorial precinct; and
$8,700 to the Coolamon Sub-Branch of the RSL to restore two WWI guns captured German guns. The project also includes repositioning the guns at the Coolamon War Memorial.
“I am delighted all these hard-working groups are being supported by the Government as they continue to honour and preserve our region’s proud military history,” Mr McCormack said.