Korumburra Cenotaph - Korumburra

This event was held in Coleman Park and conducted to mark the centenary of the Korumburra Cenotaph being a monument to those whose bodies were laid to rest elsewhere after losing their lives in battle.

To mark the centenary, flowers were laid at the base of the cenotaph by various attendees including Member for Monash Russell Broadbent.

Locals took the opportunity to remember the history of their forefathers who never returned home. The cenotaph is the only place of recognition in Korumburra of those who were lost in action in World War 1.

Korumburra well and truly sacrificed, with 78 per cent of citizens eligible to enlist doing so compared to the national average of 50 per cent. As such, the loss felt by this community was extremely palpable on the day.

People were moved by the ceremony and the service, which included a lone bagpiper, bugle player, a service from the combined churches with hymns such as “Nearer My God to Thee” accompanied by the Royal Australian Navy band who are based at HMAS Cerberus.

During the service, a rededication commemorating the lost and never returned was held. This gave the community a chance to lay wreaths making it a particularly memorable occasion.

An estimated 250 people attended the service – there wasn’t a spare seat in the hall!

Perhaps most impressively, no profits were raised as the RSL sub branch simply wanted to make the occasion memorable and allow those who had family members who did not return a place to quietly reflect on their service and demonstrate that they are truly never forgotten.