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Community feedback on draft Memorials Policy in Baw Baw Shire open until 25 September 2022

Baw Baw Shire Council is seeking feedback from community members on its draft Memorials Policy, which proposes to cease the installation of commemorative memorials on council owned land.

By news@gippsland - 25th August 2022 - Back to News

The draft Memorials Policy will not apply to war service memorials or memorials of recognised (local, regional, state, or national significance), or the renaming of existing memorial infrastructure. It will also not apply to:

• Memorials placed on roadsides that are not under council control
• Council led naming initiatives such as the naming of chairs within the West Gippsland Arts Centre, the naming of places by council in consultation with the Baw Baw Shire Place Names Advisory Committee or recognition within initiatives such as the Sporting Walk of Fame

The policy has been developed to ensure that council's public open spaces, streetscapes, road reserves and recreation facilities are maintained for the entire community to enjoy; whilst preserving the characteristics, social, economic, and environmental benefits that they provide.

Community members requested and seeking approval to install memorials such as seats, statues, and plaques as commemorative memorials in the council-owned open spaces

Support for residents

Under the proposed policy, existing memorials would be retained until they fall into disrepair, at which time every effort will be made to return the memorial items to family members. The loss of a loved one is a difficult and heart-breaking experience, and the council acknowledges the significance of mourning and memorialisation practices, as well as its importance to the grieving process.

Council is supportive of residents who are looking to memorialise loved ones, and encourages alternative memorial options, such as placing a memorial in consultation with a cemetery trust, starting or contributing to scholarships/bursaries or grants, or developing an online memorial/history website.

Interested community members will be able to review and comment on the draft Memorials Policy until 5pm Sunday 25 September 2022. For more information, and to view the draft policy visit council's website.

Feedback is encouraged

Mayor Michael Leaney said, "We understand that this can be an emotional issue and appreciate that community members may wish to memorialise their loved ones in a public way. Baw Baw Shire is home to many beautiful parks and open spaces, which are vital to our overall health and wellbeing. Ad-hoc commemorative memorials can pose challenges to safety and on-going maintenance, as well as potentially affecting the enjoyment of others in these spaces."

"This draft policy aims to address those challenges in an open and transparent way while considering the interests of our entire community.Any residents with feedback about the draft policy are encouraged to make their views known to council by completing the easy-to-use feedback form on council's website by 5pm on Sunday 25 September 2022." Cr Leaney concluded.

Pictures from Baw Baw Shire Council website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com