A GUN used in the Battle of Porton – in support of the 31/51 Battalion in New Guinea – was relocated in Mount Isa at the weekend.
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The QF 25 Pounder Gun, featuring a dent from a Japanese bullet, was previously displayed at George McCoy Park but now has a new home on the median strip on West Street.
Committee chairperson Mount Isa City Councillor Anne Seymour said the new cenotaph makes use of the existing space, revamping the concreted site and creating something eye catching for the community to appreciate.
“As part of the new memorial site the QF 25 Pounder Gun previously displayed at George McCoy Park was relocated to the median strip on West Street,” Cr Seymour said. Cr Seymour said it was her hope that residents of Mount Isa would take pride in this new memorial and give it the respect it deserves.
“CCTV, in conjunction with upgraded lighting in the area, will be utilised to monitor and ensure the security of the new cenotaph,” Cr Seymour said.
More than 150 people gathered at the Civic Centre lawns on Saturday to witness the unveiling of Mount Isa’s new war memorial.
Mount Isa mayor Tony McGrady described the day as Mount Isa coming of age.
“We are not celebrating war; there is nothing about war that should be celebrated,” Cr McGrady said at the unveiling. “Instead we are remembering those men and women who were called into various theatres of war, some who paid the supreme sacrifice with their lives to fight those who would destroy our way of life.”
“In the centre of our city we now have a beacon which will be a permanent reminder of what our forefathers did to protect our way of life and will be viewed every minute of every day, of every month.”
Cr McGrady thanked the hard work of the Anzac centenary working committee for their achievement and commitment to the project.
The project was supported by the state government Anzac centenary grants program. The memorial features decorative bollards inscribed with the words ‘‘courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice’’, which draw inspiration from the Isurava Memorial located at the peak of the Kokoda Trail itself.