Heritage Walk

Emerald's Heritage Walk was launched on Wednesday this week. A joint venture between the Emerald Community House and the Emerald Museum it came about through the energy of the ECH who applied for a small grant in the Museum's name and did the planning, while our museum committee provided the information and worked with the graphic designer to produce the brochure and signs.

The end result was excellent. I had little to do with the nuts and bolts of it but as president of the committee I was required to make a small speech at the launch, one of four speakers the last of whom was the Mayor of Cardinia who then cut the ribbon.

In my talk I thanked the attending MPs and councillors and all who contributed, using a list of dot points prepared for me by our wonderful part time museum officer employed by council (for six months only, probably one off). I had been away at Lakes Entrance in the two days prior, building a post and rail fence on top of the new big retaining wall for safety reason, and would have struggled preparing a talk in those circumstance as my mind was fully engaged with friend carpenter Willy from Phillip Island who met me down there. It was a small job only but by the time you get down there and organize and buy the timber, do the job and tidy up it was a two night stay. Men off the leash, fun, but I returned Tuesday night exhausted. Gord came and I needed him to share the driving on the way home, I was falling asleep.

I added a personal experience to my talk. In 1999 (I think) We were on holiday at Lakes Entrance and to cut a long story short Gord had a burst appendix and peritonitis after ill health for two weeks and visits to doctor and then hospital which was not picked up by the varoius medicos till I took him to the clinic in LE after his condition was worsening not improving. He had to go to Sale hospital where he had emergency surgery that saved his life. We stayed in Sale for a week, and got to know the town quite well, having previously only ever driven through it.

Because of this, we stopped in Sale on future trips for meals or shopping and a bit of nostalgia. Some years ago I came across a Heritage Walk there, and took the brochure back to our committee, who were impressed but already had plans to do this in Emerald. Finally it has happened which is rewarding. When I saw the Heritage Walk in Sale my thoughts were immediate - the people of Sale are proud of their town, their community and the history. This is an important thing to demonstrate to visitors and the new generation coming through.

The other speakers on Wednesday talked of how this heritage walk is stage one. The RSL and the Village Committee are working on an ANZAC Walk to be completed for next year's centenary. The RSL has a grant from the federal government of many $thousand.

Since my talk I have done more thinking. I remember being in the Sale hospital waiting anxiously while Gord was in surgery and seeing a plaque on a donation board for a wing of the hospital built in I think the 1920's or 30's, something like, Donation by Margaret Lyon in memory of her only son Leonard who was killed at Albertville France in 1916. I was moved by this, that this lady in commemoration of her son had made a donation to a hospital that was at that moment saving the life of my son.

We already have Avenues of Honour, the shrine of remembrance and a War Memorial in Canberra. I would prefer to see the large amount of public money spent on a better purpose such as a hospital. God knows how many millions are being spent on centenary ANZAC Day and I think the example of Margaret Lyons would be a good way to go.