A proposal to look at erecting some sort of Miners Memorial in Mount Isa for the city's 100th birthday in 2023 has gained support from Council.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
At its meeting on Wednesday, Council accepted correspondence from former resident John Moran about a memorial in the city with Council agreeing to form a new committee to push the idea forward.
When Cr Peta MacRae asked whether this should be the same committee formed to commemorate the 100 years, Cr Kim Coghlan said it should be kept as a different committee, with stakeholders from across the community.
Mr Moran wrote the letter after he and another former resident Steve Trevor lobbied the mayor, the local MP and several councillors on a previous visit.
In the letter Mr Moran said a Memorial would be a fitting tribute to all those who went to work at the mines but never made it home to their families and loved ones but it would require Queensland government backing in recognition of the enormous contribution Mount Isa and Mount Isa Mines have made to the Queensland and Australian economies over the past century.
"We would have to select a suitable site within the City for such a Memorial which would also have to be in such a position to be a Tourist attraction as well as being a significant and meaningful Memorial for all present and past residents to remember those who lost their lives," Mr Moran said.
"I believe that the most suitable site for the proposed Memorial would be on the top of the hill which presently contains the Frank Aston Museum tunnels and an unused water storage tank.
Mr Moran said the hill was in a prominent position over-looking the City and adjacent to the Outback at Isa.
"Well known Mount Isa historian and photographer Roger Hancock recently displayed a series of photos taken from the top of this hill on Facebook and he endorsed this site as the logical position for such a Memorial," he said.
"During our visit to the Isa, Steve and I ascended the two main hills and both agreed that the old Museum Hill badly needed developing and it could be the perfect site for the Workers Memorial."
Mr Moran said Frank Aston Hill was crown land and was leased to Council for tourism projects.
"At present,it is an eyesore and a blight on the city skyline and it certainly warrants a major Tourism project such as the proposed memorial if it proceeds," he said.
"A Memorial on top of this Hill would also allow for my suggestion that the Memorial feature a "Mount Isa Light on the Hill" which would illuminate every night and become a tourism attraction."
Mayor Danielle Slade said in the Council meeting she'd like to see a memorial on a hill with a miner wearing a miners cap and light which would shine down on the city.
While you are here subscribe to our weekly email to your inbox every Tuesday and Friday