Garden to honour the unknown

A memorial garden and wall honouring the unknown dead will be built at Mullewa Pioneer Cemetery.

Almost 100 people whose identities are not known have been laid to rest in the cemetery.

The Mullewa 125 Years committee, which on March 26 will recognise 125 years since the town was gazetted as a municipality, is behind the $10,000 project.

“The memorial wall with signage recognising these persons and a native garden will help family, friends and the community to celebrate these pioneers,” the 125-year-old committee wrote in a submission to the Bendigo Bank.

There will be an official on-site opening of the garden and wall on March 26, followed by a morning tea to bring people from diverse backgrounds and cultures together to acknowledge people and hear oral histories of people who have shaped Mullewa.

The Bendigo Bank awarded the committee $2000, the same amount it presented to the Mullewa Community Resource Centre to provide community and economic development activities for the benefit of the community.

The community space section at MCRC has been used for a decade and is in need of an update.

“It is worn out with grubby paint, threadbare carpet and heavy, inflexible furniture, limiting the potential of the space where people come together,” the submission said.

“The community space needs a refresh with new paint, vinyl floor covering, new blinds, folding tables and stackable chairs.”

The project will cost close to $20,000.