THE city of Tamworth has four main areas for war memorials – Anzac Park, Bicentennial Park, Railway Park and Gipps St. 

It amazes me that less than two weeks before the Centenary of Anzac, Tamworth Regional Council has seen fit to turn two of these memorial areas into construction zones.

In Bicentennial Park we have had the Waler Memorial and Second World War memorials framed by a backdrop of security fencing and piles of dirt for a few months now, and will be until October as council spends $2.2 million on a regional playground that I’m unaware anyone has actually asked for. 

A council official assures me that a consultant told them it was a good idea, as every other town has one and tree changers will like it when they move up from Sydney.

To add insult to injury, council has now decided to start work on the railway station bus interchange, resulting in more security fencing, equipment and piles of dirt, this time detracting  from the Boer War, National Service, Vietnam, Korea and Malaysian Emergency memorials in Railway Park. 

This work I am told absolutely had to happen during the April school holidays.

What was wrong with other school holidays I am not quite sure.

In both cases the council’s rationale for construction work taking place around the Centenary of Anzac, and making our memorial areas look a shambles, is that money is in the budget and has to be spent. 

It is a shame that the dollar once again takes precedence over aesthetics. 

With a bit or foresight and planning, I am sure budgets could have been adjusted to avoid this situation.