9 July 2024 - Cr Grace La Vella - The Maryborough Advertiser

Published on 09 July 2024

Bristol Hill Tower is ours!

On Tuesday, 25 June at our General Council meeting, the councillor motion was endorsed 4 to 3 and I thank Cr Lovett, Cr Murphy and especially Cr De Villers who attended via zoom from another time zone overseas.

Our tower was built by the community for the community in 1933. The construction of the tower was a collective effort by the deserving unemployed during the post-war  Great Depression. However, the deeper meaning is that the Memorial Tower salutes the pioneers who gave birth to the town of Maryborough, and continuous recognition of our rich history should be set aside for historic and cultural purposes.

The Bristol Hill precinct is Crown Land, and the Department of Energy,
Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) requested Council take over management of the site, stating there would be limited ongoing maintenance due to financial constraints.

Blind Freddy can deduce that in no time at all the area would be back to the condition prior to recent rectification works funded by DEECA, and the extra works donated by a local philanthropist.

An estimate of costings was presented, however my reasoning was that the figure suggested would not require any road surfacing for over 6-7 years, and the tower itself will not require substantial work for another 20 odd years - apart from cleaning.  Council has the ability to set aside such funds in future budgets.

Our community cares so much about our Pioneer Memorial Tower and Bristol Hill, on a weekly basis (if not daily), they collect and dispose of rubbish, mow, and hose out the steps, taking immense pride in our ‘beacon of hope’. 

Cr Grace La Vella

Maryborough Ward