Defence may give Darwin city council the royal salute
DEFENCE Darwin may give Darwin city council the royal salute and walk away from public events in Bicentennial Park
Northern Territory
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DEFENCE Darwin may give Darwin city council the royal salute and walk away from public events in Bicentennial Park.
This might include Anzac Day and the Bombing of Darwin commemoration if council reneges on its previous decision that Australian Defence Force events and activities get priority for the park’s Area 1.
Council is meeting with Defence and GleNTi organisers today and while Defence is not commenting, sources say they are contemplating no longer taking part in public events if council approves GleNTi requests to shift into its exclusion zone for next year’s Queen’s Birthday event.
The source said Defence was concerned at what appears to be a shift on council’s previous commitment.
A recommendation from the Bombing of Darwin and Military History Advisory Committee was endorsed unanimously at Darwin council’s February 26 meeting that Australian Defence Force events and activities are prioritised for Bicentennial Park – Area 1.
The GleNTi organising committee has requested its annual event be moved to Bicentennial Park – Area 1 in 2020.
The Queens Birthday 21 gun salute is currently held at this area, Bicentennial Park – Area 1 in 2020 and an exclusion zone is in place during the salute to ensure the safety of the community.
Despite the February decision, Defence has now been asked to join the City of Darwin Bombing of Darwin and Military History Advisory Committee and NT GleNTi Festival committee to find a solution regarding the spacing and layout of the Queen’s Birthday Weekend events.
GleNTi organisers are lobbying for the shift in to the area previously allocated to Defence.
The source said comments by GleNTi organisers give the impression the shift to Area 1 by GleNTi has already been sanctioned by council.
Darwin Greek Community president Nick Poniris said the GleNTi organisers are excited about “our move there”.
“We’re confident we can accommodate the two events,” he told the NT News.
Mr Poniris said the time had come for the Greek food and culture festival to find a bigger home, with the Cenotaph the obvious location.
“We grew out of the current space about seven years ago and are pretty congested,” he said.
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