Families from across the region have celebrated the official launch of the South West Migrant Memorial.
Members of the South West Migrant Memorial Committee inc. unveiled the memorial’s design in Bunbury last Wednesday.
The memorial has been eight years in the making, with still some work to do but once finished it will be displayed Bunbury’s Queens Gardens in April 2018.
The committee – comprised of descendants of early migrants – came up with the idea to honour the migrants who came from Europe to the South West between the early to mid 20th Century and 1968.
The memorial includes a tree-like design with a trunk, branches and stainless steel leaves. The leaves will feature plaques with the names of, and stories about, key individuals and families. The group planned for 500 plaques to be fixed onto the tree, with 300 already sold.
In his speech, SW migrant memorial committee member and project manager Charlie Martella said the memorial honoured each family’s contributions to the region.
Committee chairman Luis Tuia said each migrant helped to grow and enrich the region.
Inmates at Bunbury Regional Prison worked on piecing together parts of the memorial.
BRP superintendent Kerri Bishop said the prison aimed to support community programs and projects.
Anyone interested in reserving a plaque can contact Mr Tuia on 0428318434 or submit online at southwestmigrantmemorial.org/