The Gallipoli Grove Picnic Area

A Living Monument to our Bungonia ANZACS

This Gallipoli Grove Picnic Area has been created as a living monument - not made of stone – and is dedicated to the Seven ANZACS who went from the Bungonia community to serve at Gallipoli itself, ensuring a future community who would live free, in a new national awareness of what it meant to be an Australian.

In the form of a community park, it especially recognises the strong and enduring links between Bungonia's Gallipoli Veterans and the ongoing and vibrant fabric of life in our local community.

A casual visitor may not realise but we see their names on places and street signs; we know their families and friends; their lives and achievements are still resonating with us today.
Look out for them, next time you are in town.

Honoured are:

• Staff Nurse Stella Antoinette Broadhead
• Private Reginald Edward Armstrong +
• Private Albert Victor Ayre
• Private Charles Ernest Ayre +
• Lance Corporal George Herbert Ayre
• Private Leslie Leonard Broadhead
• Sergeant Reginald Faithful Muffet
  

For a full list of names of those who served in our wars, see this page.

Concept Realisation

Set in park lands near the existing general War Memorial in the Bungonia Village Park, the Gallipoli Grove trees wrap shelter round a new significant ANZAC place.

The Centenary signage, (a bronze Plaque set into a Bungonia rock) highlights these brave young men and women.

The Gallipoli Grove is a special, welcoming, shared community and family space.

The Grove provides flowers and promise of Spring renewal, relieving shade in high summer, blazing glory in Autumn leaf fall and Winter pause – a time for renewal.

It encompasses a picnic table, (disabled accessible) for communal meals in our Australian rural outdoors.

The Trees

A Grove of 21 advanced trees pass on the legacy of peace, beauty and enjoyment of life in freedom, won by sacrifice.

The trees you will see are:

Evergreen

13 x Olives - These represent the endurance, hardships and the Mediterranean Gallipoli field of action; tough, productive and enduring with a life of 900+years. They are silversheen olive windbreak trees, defining and embracing the dedicated space.

Deciduous

The 5x Pin Oaks which live 140+years are very hardy in our extreme climate and soil, and remind us of the northern theatres of war. They match existing Community plants and provide, solid cool westernside shade, autumn colour and winter sun.

Crabapples

These 3x Crabapples live for 70+yrs and have a spring accent of flowers, light northernside shade, coloured autumn leaves, and winter sun.

The facilities

The picnic table of recycled plastic and wood waste on aluminum framing is sustainable, durable and aesthetically pleasing.

The rock base for the Plaque, fittingly comes from the old Bungonia Road cutting.
The Gallipoli Grove is linked physically both with the local community and our ever increasing visitor numbers.

The proximity of the War Memorial, tennis courts and the Children's Playground brings people together often, via informal patterns of Park access across mown grassland. From the carpark & BBQ, the Gallipoli Grove is a visually prominent and attractive  place to experience.

How the project came about

This is a collaborative project with an incredible number of people supporting the effort.

PLAQUE DETAILS

Project design and realisation

Anne Wiggan with Bungonia Park Trust and Greg Callander;
John Wiggan, Chris Neill, Robert Brown, Marcus Imbens, Michael Ireland, International Wwoofers, Goulburn Community Corrections, and the Bungonia community and friends.

Funding

Lewis A.M.Buckingham
RAF Veteran WW11
North Africa Campaign

Australian Government
ANZAC Centenery

Local Grants Fund

Also generously supported by:

Tony Orford; Maria Timothy; Mark Howard Stacks the Law Firm; Divalls Concrete4Goulburn; Moodies Outdoor Products; Paul Bayliss, CPCLand Development Consultants Pty.Ltd; John Motley Stone Profile; Gehls Garden Centre; Olivanica Olive Farm, and anonymous community donors.