SURROUNDED by the recently refurbished gardens, the Ultima Anzac Day service was especially important for locals this year, marking the centenary of the Ultima War Memorial.
The service, held on Sunday, was well supported by Ultima residents, with people of all ages attending the service to lay poppies and rosemary along the monument.
With September being the official month in which the cenotaph was first unveiled 100 years ago, the community is planning a commemorative service around that time.
An article supplied by Ultima local Vivien Wilson from Argus (Melbourne) on September 20, 1922 described the unveiling of Ultima cenotaph almost 100 years ago.
“The memorial erected by the residents of Ultima as a tribute to the memory of the soldiers who enlisted from the district consists of a statue of remembrance, on which are inscribed the names of more than 100 soldiers. The unveiling of the memorial took place before a large gathering. Mr. Allan McKenzie, who lost two sons in the war, performed the unveiling ceremony,” the article wrote.
It was also announced last week that Ultima are set to receive $4,373 as part of the Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program to replace the concrete surrounding the cenotaph, which is currently broken and moving away from the base of the monument.
