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Remembered Today:

Proposed new Memorial Park at Pozières


J Banning

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They may be committed to the project Tony but has this any realistic chance of being completed in the form as originally proposed. I think that chance is very remote and not just because I think the whole concept is flawed but for practical reasons such as this statement which is I beiieve new and to me shows that the organisers themselves are doubtful with regard to completion.....

 

"Regardless of whether this project is realised in partnership with our friends at Pozières, the association is committed to ensuring that the annual Commemorations at Pozières do continue to go ahead each year".

 

Having been very involved with a successful memorial project I have practical concerns many of which have also been aired by other members on the thread. Given the statement above it is reasonable to wonder just how much has been collected from donations what has been spent so far and the balance remaining at this time. This was a standard form in my case and regular reports were made available so that everything was up front and transparent. I cannot see anywhere on the web site details of the state of the donations or any mention of a financial target plus timescale for donation cut-off. Such lack of financial information is a concern and should be addressed together with what plans there are to refund the donations if as I think is likely the whole project is cancelled.

 

Norman

 

 

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From Facebook

 

http://m.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/news/ex-serviceman-to-sell-his-house-to-build-memorial-/3014909/

 

This quote

"What I don't want happening in the future is someone coming along and digging up bones ... we want to give these men some peace," he said.

 

What does he think will happen if the memorial park  is ever built (unlikely) that will certainly find "bones"

 

Norman

 

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  • 1 month later...

I do not think that the site as proposed will ever be completed just read the item below from the web site, selling his house, so where will they live?. An ill-conceived, grandiose project that has even failed to get serious support in Australia (read the report). I am personally delighted that this will not happen as in my opinion these places should remain untouched and those that will certainly rest beneath the soil be undisturbed as they have been for 100 years.

 

Web site - News

http://www.pozieresremembered.com.au/news/

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While I concur with Norman that the fallen shall not be disturbed anymore around prominent battlegrounds like the windmill position by huge projects with parking lots and such, I must admit though that Barry and his wife have my full respect and sympathies w/r to the cause of remembering the fallen (excluding the huge undertaking of a "memorial project" above the buried.)

It is a tragedy for them that their vision will not come through, all their personal efforts so far were in vain and the misjudgement of sufficient Australian support must be eye-opening.

What I do not understand is the sentence: quote ".....Again, I want to thank all of you who have supported us up to now, and I guarantee that the Park will be completed by the end of 2017....", end of quote from Poziers Remembered website.

 

Edited by egbert
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On 08/09/2016 at 16:53, egbert said:

 

It is a tragedy for them that their vision will not come through, all their personal efforts were in vain and the misjudgement of sufficient Australian support must be eye-opening.

 

 

Is this project not going ahead then? Egbert, your post appears to suggest that but I can't see anything in this thread to say so.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I too have been there in the past fortnight. I have long found the mill site rather sanitised, very much in contrast to older photographs that show the grass grown long away from the main path, and a rather lovely ash tree on the corner of the site. The 'new' plot of land around the mill site seems to have the effect of allowing it to breath, and with the land sown to grass it has taken on the ghost of the look that it had in photographs taken during and immediately following the war - there are even one or two very shallow but tell-tale undulations showing as the ground settles. I am not sure what I think about the copy of the grave-marker, but it is undeniable that it brings some sense of the site as it may have been. I would rather like it if the ground were sown to wild flowers and grasses with mown paths meandering throughout, mown as a hay meadow in July, and topped back in the late autumn, but I suspect that the usual urge to keep it neat and sanitised will probably prevail, or worse still, trees will be planted, which would destroy the essential open character of the site.

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  • 3 years later...

Time for an update to this ill-thought out scheme which is far worse than I thought. I will fight back the urge to say "I told you so" and direct members attention to the following website which will explain the current situation. I am sad that the French involved appear to have been taken in by this scheme and I hope for a resolution to the matter, but right now things are looking serious for the organisors.

 

Official Investigation

https://sites.google.com/view/pozieres-assoc-investigation/home

 

There is also a FB group with some very interesting posts

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Pozieres-Remembered-Under-Investigation-552345011957540/posts/

N

 

Edited by ULSTER
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Thanks Egbert

 

Nice to see someone concerned with what has happened, hopefully justice will prevail including any French persons involved

 

N

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Interesting, seemingly in April Fair Trading have cancelled the Charitable Fundraising Licence of the PRA. Not a very good state of affairs for the PRA

 

Andy

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I wonder what has gone wrong between 2016/17, when the Gracey couple even received the French Legion d'Honneur medal and after receiving an Australian parliament medal, and today. Up to 2017 Barry  Gracey seemed to devote his life to Australian remembrance with all efforts put into the Poziers project with his wife Yvonne.

 

Edited by egbert
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Egbert

Something pretty serious I reckon, certainly for the authorities to take the actions they have. I believe that there is much more to this than has been revealed so far. Frankly I hope that this spells the end of this scheme and it would be good to see the site restored to its original condition, including the removal of that horrible horse statue. It is well to remember that the major organisations representing the armed forces in Australia wanted nothing to do with this which speaks volumns to me. I look forward to future events with great interest. Its even worse than I thought!.

 

image.jpeg.c57b0ba7f00da384516b9fd2808159da.jpeg

 

Edited by ULSTER
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Sadly this story has been quietly circulating in Australia since 2018.

 

Most of us are not commenting as it is under formal investigation by Australian authorities but the Facebook page has some interesting statements from those who paid for bricks in memory of Australian forebears killed at Pozieres. My wife's great uncle lies somewhere near the Pozieres civilian cemetery, apparently one of 300 Australians inadvertently killed by Australian artillery during the battle.  When I first saw this thread we considered buying a brick but ...

 

The Facebook page claims that one of those involved is a descendant of an Australian VC recipient.

 

Hope it is sorted soon, for those who did lose out.

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If any of the comments made by the French poster on FB are found to be true then this will not be sorted for a very good while. In my opinion this site is like Gettysburg and Waterloo which are treated as sacred sites, sacred that is to the memory of all those who fought and died there and this site should be treated as such. The absolute pile of trash as seen in the photo is in my view an insult both to the dead and their surviving families.Just what the French were thinking when they approved of the disaster I cannot comprehend and there must be some sanctions that can be applied when the Great War sites are subject to such ill-conceived and inappropriate developments such as this one. Never forget that these fields still contain the remains of the soldiers who died here and they deserve our respect whatever side they were on.

 

N

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  • 9 months later...

I have just heard that Yvonne Gracey (Hall) has been convicted of fraud.

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In Australia.

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Hi all, 

 

this is a big blow... I was in Pozières last year july, made some pictures of the horrible animals memorial for my sister, but also visited the windmill site and the tank memorial. And you're right: it should stay as it is ... without the hideous animal memorial

I can only hope people who donated will somehow get money back (wishful thinking) or have at least some kind of compensation. 

 

M.

 

 

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I fell victim to their scam, met them several times in Pozieres and sad to think its ended like this. Some reports suggest that the collected over 500,000 Dollars in donations

which shows what people think about preserving the Soldiers Memories.

A sad day for Pozieres and those who believed in their dream.

Tony

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On 12/04/2021 at 23:50, egbert said:

When you get more information from the press or other sources, please let us know!

There is a Facebook page which has always been factual and unemotional.  It reports that Yvonne Hall pleaded guilty to fraud.  The court appearance for a criminal matter is confirmed in the NSW Online Registry for Courts and Tribunals.

image.png.bdb8a87578fccd313171255ebdd61f8d.png

image.png.dc96e49127f8eca236b103084caa762b.png

image.png.f8b09d3ada295f5af95f789aa9f0a54a.png

 

 

 

 

 

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What about her husband? Surely he is as guilty as she is. or is he claiming "I did not know"??

 

M.

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44 minutes ago, Marilyne said:

What about her husband?

Hi Marilyne, might be an idea to wait this one out and see the details of what crime Yvonne Mary Hall has been found guilty of and if police are investigating any other individuals with regard to this matter.

 

Since 2018 I've relied on information from a person I've never met, who is obviously a driver in the investigation and at the bottom of this page is a summary of his or her actions with Australian officials.

 

https://sites.google.com/view/pozieres-assoc-investigation/home?fbclid=IwAR2ScFU0zd0sfTG9KGaFxxN2bhT7F25BVukIQu96Ysc5JvlkB_f34SuYplw

 

All of this is quoted from their web site:

Quote

 

UPDATE 16 April 2019

Speaking to the Fair Trading officer, she reports that the investigation is still ongoing and that they are preparing for court.

 

UPDATE August 2019

Papers have been prepared to proceed to court.

 

Update Nov 2019

Fair Trading report that this matter has "progressed further".

The wheels of justice move slowly but thoroughly.

 

Update March 2020

Fair Trading report that a result is "imminent" however all pending court cases are on hold due to the Covid-19 crisis.

 

Update April 2020

Fair Trading have cancelled the Charitable Fundraising licence of PRA as of 4 April 2020

 

Update 22 June 2020

A barrister was briefed early June [wheels turning slowly but surely]

 

Update January 2021

I spoke to Fair Trading again today and it is still with the Legal dept. The FT team who spent months putting together the case are just as frustrated as we are. I shall give it few more weeks then write to the Director.

 

UPDATE APRIL 2021

Yvonne Hall pleaded guilty to Fraud-related charges in Coffs Harbour court.

Sentencing will be end of May.

 

 

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copy that. 

Sit still and wait... 

 

you are right! 

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