WHEN Moree RSL Sub-Branch needed a hand pouring a small concrete slab for specialised seating at Max Wales Memorial Park, branch president Jeff Biddle knew who to call.
Mr Biddle wasn’t expecting the work or materials for free – far from it.
The Moree sub-branch was prepared to pay for the work, but again the generosity of Moree businesses dismissed the need for quote or payment formalities.
Johnstone Concrete and Quarries supplied all the materials, and the crew from O’Neill Concreting supplied the manpower – and it’s not the first time the two businesses have teamed up to help a Moree not-for-profit organisation.
Last year, they combined forces to lay new footpaths for Moree Lions Club at the Jellicoe Park rotunda.
“We’re very thankful to Johnstone’s and Marty O’Neill and his boys,” Mr Biddle said.
“I approached Marty to do the job, and when I explained what it was, he said they’d do it for free.
“It’s a $1500-$2000 job. Marty and his men poured the slab and Johnstone’s supplied all the concrete, so we are forever grateful,” he said.
The bench seat, on the western side of the park’s specially-planted lone pine tree, donated by the McNamara family in 2008, has been strategically positioned.
The morning sun casts the immortal words “Lest We Forget” – stencilled in the base of the bench seat – across the new slab.
The O’Neill Concreting crew, made up of Marty and Gary O’Neill, Brad Hourigan and David Carter, were on-site early Friday to catch the rising sun at just the right time to make sure the sacred words could be seen clearly.
“It will be a nice spot for people to be able to sit and reflect under a nice shady tree,” Mr Biddle said. “There’s been a couple of memorials here for the passing of veterans, so the new seating will be very beneficial.”
Mr Biddle said the Moree RSL Sub-Branch is now preparing for Anzac Day commemorations, with an important, miniature flag-laying ceremony to be conducted at Moree Cemetery two days prior.
“We’ve identified more than 130 first world war graves and we’re in the process of identifying second world war veterans so we can honour them next year as well,” Mr Biddle said.
“So far, we’re up to about 340 graves – it’s amazing.
“They didn’t all die in service overseas, but they all served their country.
“We’ll be using cloth flags this year, and it’s something that is being done Australia-wide. It started with one bloke who funded the flags himself. Other sub-branches got involved and it’s grown from there,” he said.
“We’ll place the flags on the Thursday afternoon before Anzac Day. The Moree Air Cadets are helping us and they’ll be heavily involved in this year’s memorial service as well.
“Their cadet under-officer will be the parade commander – we’re trying to involve the youth as much as possible and it’s great to see Moree Air Cadets involved with our Anzac Day commemorations,” Mr Biddle said.
Anzac Day will also see the reopening of Moree War Memorial Hall after extensions renovations and upgrades, including multi-million-dollar upgrades for a new acoustic ceiling, fresh paint, all-new air conditioning, new seating, levelled stage, refurbished kitchen and bathrooms, and accessibility and fire safety improvements.
A state-of-the-art audio-visual system has also been installed.
