Kyneton’s Anzac Day service is once again in limbo after Macedon Ranges council rejected funding the event for the second time.
Funding for the Anzac Day Commemorative Services Support Fund was reopened for an additional 10 days after the July council meeting, with both unsuccessful applicants Kyneton and Malmsbury encouraged to reapply for funding for traffic management control for parades.
Both applicants were rejected for funding at the July council meeting due to their relationship with the Kyneton RSL through auspicing.
The auspicing relationship they hold created a conflict with council’s gambling harm minimisation policy.
Both services do not receive funding from the Kyneton RSL’s gaming machines, and are only auspiced through the RSL.
Malmsbury did not reapply, after receiving external funding outside of council.
In July Kyneton RSL president Mike Gretton said Kyneton would reapply for the grant, and would work with council officers on the application.
However, he was disappointed to see the application rejected for the same reason for a second time at the August council meeting.
“They shouldn’t be making any connection between our gaming operations here at the RSL and our conduct on behalf of the community, conducting an Anzac Day commemoration service,” he said.
Mr Gretton said Kyneton would need to look internally for the $4300 required for traffic management on the day.
“That’s $4300 that we would normally expect to spend on our veterans,” he said.
Kyneton RSL has now put a submission together for council in response to the application rejection, as seen by the Star Weekly.
In the submission, it said the decision will impact Anzac Day services in 2026 and beyond.
Without road closures in place, it would be impossible to conduct the parade along Mollison Street, the submission said.
The submission also drew criticism about the grant process, saying the Kyneton RSL was told to proceed with applications for both Kyneton and Malmsbury.
The RSL said “in hindsight, there was seemingly never any intention to approve an application that had any connection to the Kyneton RSL”.
It also notes Malmsbury’s application, “clearly stated that there was no financial support provided to Malmsbury by the Kyneton RSL and yet the application was rejected on the grounds that they were auspiced by the Kyneton RSL for insurance purposes only”.
During the August council meeting, Cr Kate Kendall said the community will feel the impact of this decision the most.
“I do think it’s sad that we weren’t able to find common ground here … and I can tell this process has hurt Anzac Day relationships on the ground in west ward’s Kyneton and Malmsbury and will continue to hurt them year after year if we don’t be proactive and solutions orientated,” she said.
