Treasury Gardens will be home to a new Victorian Emergency Services Memorial commemorating those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while protecting Victorian communities.
Emergency Services Minister James Merlino, Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister Lily D’Ambrosio and City of Melbourne Acting Lord Mayor Arron Wood today announced the site for the new memorial, which will ensure Victorian emergency management personnel who lose their lives in the line of duty are not forgotten.
The Victorian Emergency Services Memorial will honour CFA, VICSES, MFB, Forest Fire Management Victoria, Ambulance Victoria and Life Saving Victoria personnel.
The new memorial will incorporate the plaques from the existing CFA Firefighter Memorial at Fiskville, which pays tribute to 67 CFA Members and 11 firefighters from its predecessor organisations.
The $2.3 million project is jointly funded by the Andrews Labor Government and the CFA to develop, design and build the memorial, with feedback from families and brigades of the firefighters recognised on the memorial at Fiskville.
It also has space to occasionally hold the CFA annual Memorial Service for Firefighters, which occurs on the closest Sunday to St Florian’s Day, the patron saint of firefighters, and is on 6 May this year.
Emergency services organisations and the City of Melbourne have worked together to develop a concept design for the memorial, which is scheduled to go to council’s Future Melbourne Committee in early April. Installation expected to be finalised in 2019.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Emergency Services James Merlino
“The Memorial will provide Victoria’s fallen emergency services personnel with the honour, respect and recognition they deserve.”
“This memorial will be a reminder of the brave people who protected Victorian communities in their time of need.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio
“We know how hard our dedicated firefighters work under extremely challenging circumstances – this is a small way of recognising those who lost their lives keeping communities safe.”
Quotes attributable to City of Melbourne Acting Lord Mayor Arron Wood
“Our first responders sacrifice so much for the safety, health and wellbeing of our society: their jobs are incredibly difficult and often dangerous.”
“It gives me great pleasure to recognise and honour our emergency servicemen and women with this respectful memorial at this peaceful location.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020