Eternal flame coming to Darwin Cenotaph but RSL president cools talk of a ‘big monument’

DARWIN’S next “big thing” should be a war monument rather than a big boomerang, if one Darwin local has anything to say about it

An eternal flame, such as the one at the Shrine of Remembrance in Victoria, could soon be coming to the Darwin Cenotaph Picture: Stuart Milligan

DARWIN’S next “big thing” should be a war monument rather than a big boomerang, if one Darwin local has anything to say about it.

After alderman Sherry Cullen last week raised the idea of bringing Australia’s next big tourist attraction to Darwin, resident Rob White said Darwin’s military history made it the perfect place for a monument — akin to France’s Verdun, Vietnam’s Cu Chi tunnels and even Adelaide River’s war cemetery.

“Most people come to Darwin because of the bombing — they go to the cemeteries and the museums,” he said. “(Council is) looking at a boomerang or a buffalo or a dingo, I don’t think that’s really tourism stuff … we should be looking at monuments and things about the forgotten heroes.”

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Mr White said building on Darwin’s rich military history and sharing it across the world would be a great tourist attraction and he had begun discussions with the Darwin RSL as to just what they could bring.

Darwin RSL sub-branch president Stephen Gloster with. Navy veteran Don Milford.

But Darwin RSL president Stephen Gloster said while it would be great to see an internationally renowned war memorial, the RSL club had a few other issues to focus on in the short term.

“They all cost a lot of money and we’ve got other priorities, I mean we don’t even have a club house anymore,” he said.

“The first thing we’ve got to do is get our club back into operation, while focusing on our primary concern of looking after the welfare of veterans.”

Instead, smaller upgrades would be made to existing memorials at the Darwin Cenotaph. “At the moment we’re in the process of doing an upgrade to the Cenotaph, we’ve got a generous grant from the Commonwealth Government,” he said. “We’re just getting plans organised which will go to council because the area is owned by council … we’re planning an eternal flame and wheelchair access.”

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He said it was good to see community members like Mr White getting the ball rolling on the idea but any efforts would ultimately come down to the wider community.