Nick Massie, Newham
The Woodend RSL will not support the correction of the WWI plaques on the clock tower to properly reflect the contribution of the people of The Shire of Newham and Woodend to the war effort.
Since 2014 I have been lobbing the Macedon Ranges Shire Council and our local member and the RSL to correct the wording of the plaques to correctly identify the Shire at the time of WWI and II. This was successful (I like to believe), in the correction to the WWII plaque. The current WWI plaque still incorrectly references the Shire of Woodend, Newham and District. There has never been in recorded history a Shire of Woodend.
All passed the responsibility to the RSL to initiate the change. Currently the Woodend RSL has refused.
When the original WWII was redone to include names omitted the opportunity was taken to correct the reference to the Shire of Woodend and Newham to the Shire of Newham and Woodend. It beggars belief that with the money being spent on the clock tower currently no money can be found to correct the WWI plaques.
I have undertaken research at the Woodend Historical Society that confirms that no definitive records exist as to how the wording for the WWI plaque was formulated and by whom.
What is clear from the records that do exist, specifically the Woodend Star of 13 February 1927 that states that “satisfactory progress is being made with the concrete clock tower …. as a memorial to the soldiers of the Newham and Woodend Shire who took part in the Great War”, that it was intended that the wording reflect the correct name of the Shire. Note that The Shire of Newham and Woodend was created in 1904 well before the commencement of WWI.
The wording must be corrected to remove the historical inaccuracy.
