Metal silhouettes of World War I soldiers are to be placed on an ANZAC Walkway as part of the Lansdowne Recreational Trail. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Funding for silhouettes to be found

PAM GRAHAM

pam.graham@age.co.nz

Life-sized metal cut-outs of World War I soldiers are to be placed on part of the Lansdowne Recreational Trail.

It’s a project by the Lansdowne Residents Association, which needs to secure about $5000 of funding.

The association is going to put plants in a meadow near the Fifth St entrance this ANZAC Day, which is part of a project it already had government funding for, and a plaque will go in beside the plants.

The association felt more of a statement about the war service provided by people from Masterton could be made and developed plans for the cut-outs on what will be called the ANZAC Walkway.

Secretary Sandy Ryan said the cut-out images would be part of their contribution.

“[Depending on funding available], they’ll be life-sized cut-outs placed on the bank or they’ll be small images on pou.”

She said walkers would follow the timeline of World War I and it would recognise Wairarapa soldiers’ efforts.

The Emu Park Anzac Memorial Walk near Rockhampton in Australia has similar silhouettes of soldiers.

The silhouettes will be made by a Wairarapa engineering firm and the Wairarapa Archive will be involved in supplying information for the project.

The council has to install the structures for health and safety reasons.

The area is near to where the Lansdowne Park Village will be expanding and it is seeking to have good links between the new site and its existing site but that is not expected to be a barrier to the project and could even facilitate a wider walkway.

The association presented to a council workshop a few weeks ago and will also present to the community well-being committee meeting this week.

The council was asked for funding for the silhouettes but the association learned last week it would not be happening and it will now look elsewhere.

There will be about a dozen of the silhouettes and the piece of metal they are laser-cut from will be backed with marine ply and itself become a structure along the walkway as happened in the installation in Australia.

From 40,000 to 60,000 people use the trails every month and thousands of plants have been put in by volunteers.

There will be eight more days of plantings this summer and the association is paying for more than 3000 plants the council organised from a supplier and may source more than that.