Memorial to fallen heroes in Kings Cross threatened

Kings Cross locals are angered by council plans to demolish what they say is a memorial garden in Lawrence Hargrave Reserve at Kings Cross.

“Plans by Clover Moore to completely destroy a significant Memorial Garden commemorating those who died in April 2005 as part of humanitarian efforts distributing aid in the aftermath of earthquakes in Indonesia are heritage heresy,” President of the Potts Point and Kings Cross Heritage Conservation society, Andrew Woodhouse said.

“Any new garden design must respect the past for our future.”

The memorial is to the crew of a Sea King helicopter which crashed on Indonesia’s Nias Island on April 2, 2005 while carrying out a humanitarian aid mission.

Nine out of the eleven on-board Australian Defence Force personnel died.

The Australian government passed a special Act of Parliament allowing the personnel, who were non-combatants, to receive a posthumous medal for their sacrifice.

The memorial features a brass plaque installed during a ceremony at the reserve which was attended by Councillor Marcelle Hoff in June 2005.

Also present were senior Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force personnel.

The Indonesian government has also awarded the men who died its Valour of Honour medal, which was placed in the coffin of each man by the Indonesian President during a visit.

Each year at 11am on the 11th November a service is conducted in front of the memorial by residents and Kings Cross biker Randall Nelson, also known as Animal.

For years Animal organised a rememberance service at the El Alamein Fountain which is also a memorial but switched after the Sea King tragedy.

He also led the planting of the memorial rosemary garden in front of the plaque.

But Council has justified their position on the issue.

“The plaque located in Lawrence Hargrave Reserve is an unofficial memorial to the victims of the Sea King helicopter disaster in Indonesia and is currently fixed to an air vent located on the wall of a neighbouring car park,” said a City of Sydney spokesperson.

“Council is supportive of the plaque and tends a memorial garden around it regularly, including replanting of rosemary plants when necessary.

“The plaque may be re-located to a more appropriate location within the reserve as part of our planned upgrade of Fitzroy Gardens and Lawrence Hargrave Reserve.  However, concepts for any upgrade are still in their early stages and no decisions have been made yet.

“Council is consulting further with the community regarding the upgrade and is working with the association which paid for the plaque to retain it in an appropriate location within Lawrence Hargrave Reserve.”

The Memorial Garden is the only known Australian memorial commemorating the event and is currently being registered for its national and international significance.

By Simon Black