Cardinia Shire Council has welcomed a $500,000 Federal Government grant to create an Ash Wednesday memorial at the former Cockatoo kindergarten.
Council has also pledged $200,000 for the project that will deliver lasting benefit for the local community.
Mayor Brett Owen said he was delighted that the Council’s application for funding for the memorial had been supported.
“I look forward to working in close partnership with the local community to create a lasting tribute to those who died or suffered losses during the devastating 1983 fires.
“The township of Cockatoo bore the full brunt of the firestorm, with more than 300 buildings destroyed and six lives lost.
“The former kindergarten is a place of great local significance, having served as a shelter for residents in the fires, and was an education centre for Cockatoo’s children up until its closure in 2005.
“Following the decision to retain the site for the community, Council has worked closely with the Ash Wednesday Memorial Project Committee led by president Graham Simpson to help plan the memorial.
“This has very much been a community-driven project.”
The former kindergarten’s original and unique 12-sided building design will be used as a feature of the memorial which will be promoted as a destination for locals and visitors to reflect on and learn about the Ash Wednesday bushfires and fire safety.
Following the 1983 bushfires, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana visited Cockatoo and planted a tree at the site.
“Preservation of this tree, a flowering gum, will be a priority. There will also be landscaping and other improvements,” Cr Owen said.
“This project means so much to local people and thanks to this funding from the Federal Government, Council and the community it will happen.”
