Zoe Moffatt
Macedon Ranges residents have spoken against Parks Victoria’s proposal to remove about 0.71 hectares of vegetation on Mount Macedon, amid debate about Anzac legacy and growing climate anxiety.
In a meeting on June 14, Macedon Ranges council heard from submitters about the removal of vegetation to re-establish view lines to and from the Memorial Cross, which has been limited since the cross was refurbished in 2007.
Council received 72 submissions in regards to the application – 55 objections and 17 letters of support – with many submitters speaking at the meeting.
One resident objected to the vegetation removal and said the environment must be protected.
“I previously had great respect for the cross, what it represents and how veterans fought to save our way of life,” the resident said. “But we must have respect for our environment.
“We now have a clear understanding of the importance of protecting our environment… [and] it’s imperative to protect our future.
“I believe this application for ecological destruction has the potential to taint the veterans’ important legacy … [and] I fear the applicants and those behind it will be remembered for exacerbating the mental health problems associated with climate anxiety.”
Dawn service president and member of the Mount Macedon memorial cross committee of management Bruce Mildenhall addressed council and urged the vegetation to be removed.
“We believe the planning application is the minimum work that should be completed to restore the view lines,” Mr Mildenhall said.
“The significance of the view lines to the commemoration community … cannot be overstated … [with] the annual dawn service now enveloped by a curtain of trees.”
Mr Mildenhall said there would not be a proposal or application if Parks Victoria had continued to carry out maintenance works on the view lines since the last trim in 2011.
“What was an annual thing with, you know, a couple of blokes and a Ute and a chainsaw has now become a $120,000 project of this significance,” he said.
A Parks Victoria spokesperson said it had not previously “trimmed” trees around the cross, and work done in 2011 involved the removal of trees to restore the viewscape.
The proposed works will cover a smaller footprint than the 2011 program, the spokesperson said.
The application will be determined at the next council meeting on June 28.
