FAQs

The cenotaph at the Busselton War Memorial was built in 1919 by the Busselton Community and the Returned Soldiers and Sailors Association and was formally opened by General Birdwood in 1920. The official cost to build the cenotaph was £140.

In 1920, after the ANZAC Day ceremony, the Busselton War Memorial was officially handed over the Busselton Municipal Council (now the City of Busselton).

In 1951, a bronze plaque containing the names of 33 men from the Busselton district who lost their lives in World War II was attached to the cenotaph. 

In 1977, extensive restoration was carried out including sandblasting and coating the sandstone with water repellent. 

In 1984, a major face lift was carried out on the cenotaph. At the time, the sandstone plinth was subject to weather erosion. Due to the erosion, names were instead inscribed into granite and affixed to the cenotaph. These granite plaques are the ones you can see today on the cenotaph. 

Unfortunately, the granite plaques installed in 1984 feature a number of spelling errors, a few service men listed on the wrong honour role, and the names of local nurses who served have been omitted. A new war memorial will provide an opportunity to correct these errors. 

In 2022, the City received an assessment from a stonemason on the condition of the centoph at the existing war memorial. 

The cenotaph is believed to be in reasonable condition, with some cracking to the sandstone, and a larger crack under the cenotaph. The City has been advised that the cracks cannot be fixed without replacing the relevant sandstone pieces. Because of the age of the monument and weathering of the sandstone pieces, replacing any components could cause more damage to other parts of the monument, which would require many other components to be replaced. 

Originally, the City and the RSL were hoping that the cenotaph could be relocated to Rotary Park and incorporated into the new war memorial. However, following advice from the stone mason, the City has been working with RSL to design a new cenotaph for Rotary Park. You can see these designs here 

The first walls of the Memorial Wall were added in 1995. 

In 2016 the City was considering traffic management at the entry to Busselton, to resolve bottlenecks at the intersection of Albert and Queen Streets. One of the solutions recommended was a realignment at the junction which would impact on the War Memorial. It was recognised that if this realignment was to occur, the City would need to engage with the RSL around potential relocation of the War Memorial. 

Traffic studies resulted in the Eastern Link Project commencing construction in 2020. While traffic solutions at Victoria Square are not currently viable, as the City grows further traffic studies will occur and other solutions may need to be investigated.

Coincidentally, in 2016, the RSL had commenced discussions with the City around the relocation of the War Memorial due to the growing attendance at ANZAC and Remembrance Day services. Rotary Park was suggested as a good location. In 2021 and 2022 grant applications were made to the Federal Government’s “Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grant Program”. In 2022, the RSL, with support from RSL WA, was successful in the receiving $149,999. The City has had budget in the Long Term Financial Plan since 2020 in anticipation of construction in 2021-22 or 2022-2023 financial years.

Rotary Park is believed to have been a waste disposal site in the early 1900's, and closed circa 1930's. The Busselton Collector's Club conducted a dig at the site in the mid 1980's and found glass bottles dating back to the 1920's. No toxic materials were found during the site dig. 

In 1962, the Rotary Club formed a sub-committee to focus on improving the park; turning it into a beautified space. With assistance for the City (which was the Shire at the time), the club planted trees, installed reticulation, built a fence, constructed a gravel road, installed a playground

In the mid-1980's, the Rotary Club of Busselton beautified the park, and hence the park is named after the club. 

Rotary Park has been chosen as a good location due to: 

• Access to parking
• More space to accommodate growing crowds during ceremonies
• Access to public toilets
• Quiet location on the Vasse River
• Proximity to the RSL, and City Administration Building (should weather prove poor for ceremonies). 
• Ability to carry-out road closures during ceremonies
• Opportunity to acknowledge service men and women from other theatres of war

The Busselton RSL Sub-Branch was established in 1917.  For over a century, the Busselton RSL has provided support and advocacy for those who have served and their families.

The Busselton RSL conducts memorial services to honour all those who have served, including most notably the annual ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day services. They are the custodians of both the Cenotaph and Memorial Wall (niches) at the War Memorial. 

In 2015, the Busselton RSL commissioned a series of bronze memorial plaques, to commemorate those who have fallen across all combats. These have been incorporated into the concept design for the new war memorial, through a 'Memorial Walk'. 

This year, the Busselton RSL were successful in obtaining a $150,000 grant from the Federal Government to carry out the War Memorial project.