After months of raising awareness, the efforts by concerned residents to save the Bez Valley World War I Memorial has paid off.

The memorial commemorating 63 Bez Valley residents who were killed between 1914 to 1918 will be moved to its new home in Bez Valley Park.

City of Joburg’s head of heritage Eric Itzkin said the City of Joburg (CoJ) is pleased that the memorial will be moving to a safer place to still be appreciated by the public.

Also read: War memorial to possibly be moved

“There has been lengthy discussions and meetings about moving the memorial. Heritage architectures were involved in developing a discussion document which will assist in guiding us on how to best handle the issue,” said Itzkin.

“We have reached that point of how we should go about the issue but most importantly still keeping in mind the importance of keeping the memorial within the area.

Also read: Bez Valley war memorial to get a revamp

“The park was the best place because it will still have good public access, as well as offer a secure and dignified environment,” said Itzkin.

Also read: Community rallies behind memorial clean-up through A Re Sebetseng

Brendan Hart, principal architect and heritage practitioner from Mayat Hart Architects & Heritage Consultants described the project as “interesting”.

“We had to decide between building a new memorial or saving the current one. We decided to save and restore the plaque with the war heroes’ names engraved and to build around it,” said Hart.

He said it forms part of the memorial’s history of where is has been.

“The existing memorial will be deconstructed and moved to its new location at Bezuidenhout Park. At the new site the memorial will be reconstructed.

“The stone wall will be rebuilt and the memorial stone will be repaired and restored using the Japanese concept of Kintsugi. A plaque will be added telling the history of the memorial,” explained Hart.

The EXPRESS asked why they chose to use the Japanese concept of Kintsugi in restoring the memorial?

“We chose the Japanese concept because of its art in mending what has been damaged through the process of using gold to mend the cracks, as Kintsugi means ‘golden scars’. We wanted to keep the original and value the material that was originally used.

“We want the damaged signs and wear to be celebrated because it also tells a story. The memorial has its scars of all the harsh conditions it has survived the past few years and we wanted to keep that,” said Hart.

He said the project will begin as soon as they receive approval for the work from heritage stakeholders.

The move of the memorial will be sponsored by Barrow Construction.

The existing park will also be rehabilitated as it will still form part of the memorial.

“A general clean-up will be done. There will be a creation of a memorial wall. This will be a community artwork that may include graffiti or mosaic. This will both commemorate WWI and be relevant to the current community. The details of this are still developed,” said Hart.

Hart said additional funds for the restoration of the memorial stone and remedial work at the park are being funded through a donation from the Johannesburg Heritage Trust.

The journey of saving the memorial has been a long one for all those who care about it.

In 2014 the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation organised restoration work, purchased trees, the wall behind the memorial was painted, the area cleaned and benches were put in at no cost to the city.

In November 2017 the EXPRESS reported that Joseph Dube had called on residents to help in preserving the memorial and in March 2018 Ward 66 Councillor Carlos Da Rocha also organised a clean-up with local residents.

In November 2018, Kensington resident Richard Brooksbank invited friends and family to help him clean up the memorial.

Brooksbank said he is pleased with the move of the memorial.

“I’m very happy about the new location. The memorial will stay in Bez Valley where it belongs and will serve as a reminder of not only the horrors of war but also of how the Bez Valley community has changed over the years.

“I believe the memorial will also be better protected in its new location while at the same time still be accessible to the public, which is important,” said Brooksbank.

He said he is also impressed with the approach taken in preserving the memorial.

“I think that is a very novel and enlightened approach to re-establishing the memorial. It’s not always necessary or possible to preserve something exactly as it was, especially when it has been so badly damaged, and reconstructing the memorial in this way preserves both the memory of the men on the memorial as well as telling the story of the memorial’s difficult history,” said Brooksbank.

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