ANZAC community grants closing soon

Applications will close at the end of next week for Queensland Government funding for local community projects to commemorate the Centenary of the First World War.

Minister Assisting the Premier on the Anzac Centenary Glen Elmes said the hundredth anniversary of the First World War is a significant international event, but it will also have special relevance for many Queensland communities.

“These are communities from which individuals or groups of citizens went to the battlefields or contributed in other non-frontline ways to support the war effort,” Mr Elmes said.

“The $13.5 million Anzac Community Grants program is part of $49.3 million the Queensland Government is devoting to Anzac centenary commemoration events and projects.

“The grants provide funding of up to $80,000 for local events, projects and re-enactments to commemorate the centenary of Australia’s involvement in the First World War.

“The grants will help communities stageevents and commemorations with particular local relevance such as exhibitions, community education activities and the restoration or enhancement of memorials and honour boards.”

The community grants program is one of three commemoration initiatives for which the Queensland Government has earmarked $49.3 million over the next five years:

• $26.4 million towards significant ANZAC legacy projects like the restoration of Brisbane’s Anzac Square;
• $9.4 million for milestone commemorative events such as Anzac Day 2015; and
• $13.5 million for the Anzac Centenary grants program.

Mr Elmes encouraged communities to come together to honour this significant national occasion in their local area.

“Many of the state’s communities have their own Great War stories to tell, and I’m sure other Queenslanders will want to hear those stories,” he said.

“It’s important that we remember all that has happened in our past and that we also provide a legacy for the future.”

Mr Elmes said he looked forward to working with communities to create an important legacy for generations to come in honour of those who sacrificed so much.

[ENDS] 6 March 2014

Media Contact:          Peter McCarthy (0408) 835 548