Beaumont resident Neville Hills said when Covid-19 lockdowns came into force in 2020, residents of the tiny rural town remained determined to commemorate their Anzac heroes.
"Pre-Covid-19, we used to join the Lawrence Anzac Day service, but couldn’t really do that when restrictions hit.
Although lockdowns now appeared to be a thing of the past, the town’s 50-odd permanent residents wanted to formally enshrine their new tradition, he said.
"As you can see, our stand-in memorials have become more elaborate each year, but we’re now raising funds for a formal, granite memorial engraved with the names of our local Anzacs, and an image of the old bridge as they would have known it when they departed for foreign shores."
The Dunkeld (Beaumont) Cemetery Trust was overseeing fundraising to the tune of $25,000, as the cemetery would be the location of the new war memorial, Mr Hills said.
Wife and fellow trustee Vicki Hills said fundraising so far meant the project was about half way to its goal.
"We’re only a small community, but people are quick to step up and help, so we’ve done quite well already with traditional raffles and other fundraisers.
"But we’re at the stage now where we’d like to make contact with larger fundraising organisations or perhaps reach out to those who have connections with Beaumont from outside the area, to see if we can push for this to be in place for next April."
Interested parties could email her at tori@xtra.co.nz.
