The Victorian Government grant — gifted under the ‘Victoria Remembers’ program — has pushed the RSL over the line to meet its ambitious $50,000 target, which will enable the group to honour and commemorate the role of women in war and military service.
The project will encompass a large installation, storyboards and 10 painted panels along a winding path by the Memorial Hall, cementing Violet Town's position as part of the historic Military Trail, extending north up Hume Fwy from Seymour and Puckapunyal to Benalla and Euroa.
Project co-ordinator Neil Garrett said Women in War had been in the works for more than a year.
“There's any amount of memorials which are primarily related to men's activities, and very little in the way of memorials or installations which honour women's role in the war, whether that be military or associated activities like land keeping, farm work and working in factory production,” he said.
“But we have only identified two sites that identify specifically women's war installations in Australia.”
A celebration of Violet Town's and other rural women’s contributions to the war effort in past military conflicts from the Boer War to the present, the project will highlight women's support roles in production line work and running farms.
The panels will be painted by local artist Tim Bowtell, known for his work on the Colbinabbin silos and a mural at the Southern Aurora Memorial Garden in Violet Town.
The storyboard will be produced by researchers, employed to investigate local women in the area who will form the basis of the story.
“We thought we'd get about three panels up, but with the grant and some additional funding we'll be able to increase that to 10 separate painted panels,” Mr Garrett said.
“We're still looking for more — at the moment we have several nurses that resided or were born in the town, who served in the first or second world war.
“But we want people with a story of civilian life during the war, where they supported men overseas, a broader range of people who did packages, worked in factories, drove the tractors and did various trades.”
Mr Garrett said the 12-month project was estimated to be completed by June next year.
Additional funding was provided by the Shire of Strathbogie, VTAG, the Lions Club, the local RSL branch and individual donors.
● To contribute any historic local knowledge to the project, contact the Violet Town RSL via email to secretary.vtrsl@outlook.com
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