Community
5 February, 2026
Federal government to fund trees in honour of local Vietnam War veterans
Federal Member for Whitlam Carol Berry says the Australian Government will fund 41 Tai Haku trees along the Cherry Tree Memorial Walk in Bowral to honour those who lost their lives in the Vietnam War.
Federal Member for Whitlam Carol Berry says the Australian Government will fund 41 Tai Haku trees along the Cherry Tree Memorial Walk in Bowral to honour those who lost their lives in the Vietnam War.
“Through the Saluting Their Service Grants Program, this project will deliver a lasting, living tribute to honour those who lost their lives in the Vietnam War,” a spokesperson from Minister Berry’s office told The Southern Wire.
This project will also be delivered in partnership with Wingecarribee Shire Council.
Batch 2 applications for the grant are open until today (Thursday, 5 February).
The objective of the Saluting Their Service Grants program is to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australia’s service personnel who served in wars, conflicts and peace operations, including National Service personnel, and their families.
The intended outcome of the program is to provide funding for projects and activities that:
Promote appreciation and understanding of the experiences of service, and the role of service personnel; and
Preserve, add to the sum of knowledge on, or provide access to information about Australia’s wartime heritage.
There are two categories of grants available under the program:
1. Community Grants (STS-CG) - Grants up to $10,000 are available for local, community-based projects and activities; and
2. Major Grants (STS-MG) - Grants between $10,001 and $150,000 are available for major commemorative projects and activities that are significant from a national, state, territory and/or broader regional perspective.
If a project relates to restoring or changing a memorial or other commemorative artefact, there may be heritage and conservation considerations.
To ensure that all local heritage requirements are met, grant applicants need to seek advice from their local council, RSL, the owner of the memorial, or their state or territory government heritage body.
Local veteran Grahame Tooth noted that Anne Cummins from Sydney Artefacts Conservation was appointed to see if major grants funding of $50,000 could be sought for granite repair work to the Vietnam War monument on Cherry Tree Walk.
“There are granite panels on the memorial that have some cracking on them, and they shouldn’t be too hard to fix,” Mr. Tooth told The Southern Wire.
He advised us that Ms. Cummins noted in her report to Wingecarribee Shire Council’s Conservation Management Plan (CMP), that she inspected the memorials dotted along the walk on 12 & 13 December 2024, and did notice cracking on the monoliths.
“A site visit on 12-13 December 2024 to inspect the Memorial was carried out by Anne Cummins of SAC,” the report’s Executive Summary states.
“The Memorial was at that time in fair condition, with various cracks evident on the granite panels on all monoliths apart from one. The most prevalent crack types were an arc shaped crack which arched from join to join at the horizontal edge of the panels and diagonal cracks across the corners. Possible vandalism was only noted on one of the monoliths (known as ‘M9’ in Ms. Cummins’ report, located down next to Mittagong Creek at the end of Boolwey St) which is the most remotely located. Recommendations have been provided for conservation of the Memorial.”
For more information on the grants program, visit the website at https://tinyurl.com/mwd4xfk5.
Read More: Bowral, Southern Highlands