Overview

In collaboration with the Rotary Club of Newcastle, a memorial is planned to be installed to celebrate the Rotary Club's 100 years of service to our City. The memorial will be revitalised and relocated from Civic Park to another park in Newcastle.

The proposed works include:

• the installation of a new granite boulder to display the existing plaques in one location
• a garden bed surrounding the memorial, which includes a Queensland Fire Wheel tree

These plaques honour the visitation of Rotary International Presidents to Newcastle. The Queensland Fire Wheel tree is the original species that was planted in Civic Park in 1973 by William Carter, the Governor of Rotary International.

Proposed locations

We sought feedback from the community on the most appropriate location for the memorial. Proposed locations included:

• Centennial Park, Cooks Hill
• Nesca Park, Bar Beach
• Rotary Park, Hamilton

Thanks for having your say!

None of the proposed locations received majority support, with Centennial Park Cooks Hill having a marginally higher level of support. Results were divided, with respondents having strong and opposing views about the memorial being located in Centennial Park and Rotary Park. The results are therefore inconclusive. Read the Engagement Report to find out more.

Several respondents suggested that the memorial should remain at Civic Park. The memorial is unable to be placed in Civic Park as the Plan of Management identifies Civic Park as having memorials for ex-servicemen and women only, and does not identify the inclusion of memorials for community groups.