A MOVING rededication ceremony was held last Friday to commemorate the restoration of the Rats of Tobruk Walk in Gordon Park, Nambucca Heads.
The memorial path was first established in the 1990s to honour the bravery and sacrifice of Australian soldiers during the Siege of Tobruk in World War II.
Presided over by Nambucca Heads RSL sub-Branch President Denis Lane, the ceremony was attended by Nambucca Valley Mayor Gary Lee, members of the public, and family members of veterans who once proudly bore the Rats of Tobruk name.
Their presence added profound meaning to the event, reaffirming the legacy of those who served in one of Australia’s most defining military campaigns.
Guest speaker Mick Birtles DSC provided background details that traced the pathway’s origins and its resurrection.
He recalled being approached by Nambucca Valley Council’s Ben Fuller and Matt La Brandt about the history of the walkway, once named the Rats of Tobruk Walk.
After consulting with respected members of the veteran community, including John Kent OAM and Bill Shepard, Mr Birtles confirmed that the pathway had been dedicated by the local RSL and veteran community to mark the 50th anniversary of the siege.
A brass plaque and sign once marked the site but had been removed due to repeated acts of vandalism.
When Council sought to upgrade the pathway, Mr Birtles was invited to work with artist Anna Fisher from Fisher Design and Architecture to help develop a concept that honoured military history with appropriate protocol and accuracy.
“My role was to provide military advice and keep things on track from a military protocol perspective,” Mr Birtles told News Of The Area.
The resulting memorial includes a striking park bench and interpretive signage installed midway along the walk.
The signage features a powerful image taken by renowned war photographer Frank Hurley, showing diggers days before the siege with Tobruk in flames behind them, alongside maps and historical context.
The plaque inscription recounts the harrowing eight-month siege of Tobruk, during which some 14,000 Australian soldiers of the 9th Division and 18th Brigade, alongside British and Indian troops, held firm against German-Italian forces under General Erwin Rommel.
Though dubbed the Rats of Tobruk by Nazi propaganda, the soldiers proudly adopted the name as a badge of honour still revered today.
Mr Birtles also liaised with the Rats of Tobruk Association to ensure historical accuracy and consensus.
“This is a place of reflection, dedicated to the Rats of Tobruk,” he said.
“Many paid the ultimate sacrifice, and all made an indelible mark on the fabric of this great nation.”
The Rats of Tobruk Association in Melbourne has offered to provide a tree grown from a cutting taken from the entrance to the original Casualty Treatment Point in Tobruk.
This tree, once planted near the memorial bench, will provide shade and continue the living memory of those brave soldiers for generations to come.
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