Published on Monday, 31 August 2020 at 12:10:57 PM
The City of Vincent is considering a proposal to transfer ownership of the historic Mount Hawthorn memorial ANZAC Cottage to the National Trust of Western Australia.
The National Trust manages a portfolio of heritage and conservation sites and wants to add ANZAC Cottage to its collection of places that tell the story of the ANZAC spirit.
The organisation has promised to maintain community connection to the cottage and keep it open to locals if the transfer of ownership goes ahead.
Community members are being invited to have their say on the future of the 104-year-old memorial before a decision is made.
“ANZAC Cottage is a treasured monument and a really important place of remembrance in our community,” said Mayor Emma Cole.
“This is a big decision for us because of the history of the cottage. Not only does ANZAC Cottage mean a lot to us as a community, it’s also a cherished national monument.
“Any decisions around the future of the cottage must take its long-term protection into account. Its heritage must endure for future generations and it must be widely celebrated and promoted.
“It is also a priority that this important monument remains open and accessible to our community.
“We think that the National Trust is in a strong position to preserve and enhance ANZAC Cottage’s historic status and place within our community, but want to hear from as many Vincent residents as possible before we make a decision.”
ANZAC Cottage was the first memorial to the Great War in WA and the second memorial in Australia.
The Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia WA (VVAWA) hold a long-term lease over the cottage in recognition of the group’s role in saving the memorial in the 1990s.
The VVAAWA would have to surrender the lease and withdraw a caveat over the title of the property to allow the proposed transfer to go ahead.
The VVAAWA and local community group Friends of ANZAC Cottage have both agreed in-principle to the transfer of the cottage from the City to the National Trust.
The National Trust has committed to working with the VVAAWA and Friends of ANZAC Cottage to ensure both groups can access the cottage if the transfer goes ahead.
Education and community outreach programs run by Friends of ANZAC Cottage would be encouraged by the National Trust.
The National Trust has acknowledged the special place ANZAC Cottage holds in the hearts our community members, as well as the relationship between the monument and local schools.
The organisation would keep ANZAC Cottage open to our community, continue to open for ANZAC Day and other commemorative events, while also promoting the monument more widely across WA.
The National Trust has the resources and funds to ensure ANZAC Cottage is well maintained and conserved for future generations.
ANZAC Cottage history
- ANZAC Cottage was designed to be used as a memorial for those who lost their lives in the tragic Gallipoli landing and a home for returned wounded soldier Private Cuthbert John Porter.
- Members of the Mount Hawthorn community enthusiastically threw their support behind the ambitious project, which was completed in one day on February 12, 1916.
- The VVAAWA took ownership of the rundown cottage in 1991 and restored it over 10 years.
- The VVAAWA gifted ANZAC Cottage to the City of Vincent in 2006 because they wanted to ensure it was never lost to the community.
- ANZAC Cottage was gifted to the City on the condition it was leased back to the VVAAWA. A caveat on the title of the property secured the 36-year lease.
Share your thoughts
To share your thoughts on the proposed transfer, visit imagine.vincent.wa.gov.au or contact the City on 9273 6000 or mail@vincent.wa.gov.au
If you want to learn more about ANZAC Cottage, you can contact the Vincent Local History Centre on 9273 6534 or local.history@vincent.wa.gov.au
Comments are invited until: 5pm Tuesday 22 September 2020.
More Information
Imagine Vincent
National Trust of WA
ANZAC Cottage Information
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