A new memorial to the town’s young ANZACs sacrificed in World War I has been installed at the Duesbury Point headland at Dalmeny, 300 metres south of the Duesbury Beach lookout.
The Narooma RSL sub-branch organised a special dedication ceremony at the site on March 21st to official unveil the memorial. The memorial is placed as to be a part of the “Avenue of Honour” memorial that the RSL wish to see maintained and resurected requesting Council protect the remaining avenue of Cypress Pines along Dalmeny Drive which were originally planted in honour of the ANZACs. Peter Bernard of Dalmeny has long fought to have the avenue of cypress trees protected and is now hoping to work with Eurobodalla Shire Council in restoring a section of foreshore between Dalmeny and Kianga with seating and commemorative plaques. There is currently an avenue of Golden Cypress trees that have been an informal Memorial Avenue for many years. In recent years some of these have been removed due to poor condition and also to make way for the Dalmeny Kianga cycleway. In Council's 2007 Coastal Reserve Assessment Report -Dalmeny to North Narooma it states "Golden cypress has been widely planted in Australia as a coastal tree as it tolerates exposed conditions. There are over 100 golden cypress pines planted along Dalmeny Drive with another 19 along Ocean Parade." "The road between Kianga and Dalmeny was completed in 1968. In October 1971 a donation was made to Council for the Golden Cypress Pines to be planted along the Dalmeny-Narooma Memorial Drive as an ANZAC memorial. " "The trees form a long row on the coastal side of the road and have strikingly contrasting foliage to the native vegetation. Some of these Cypress Pines will be removed for the construction of the shared pathway.The Golden Cypress Pines are a hybrid between the Monterey cypress Cuppressus macrocarpa, and the Mexican cypress, Cuppressus lusitanica. The pines were planted in 1971 as part of an ANZAC memorial."
Council's 2007 Coastal Reserve Assessment Report -Dalmeny to North Narooma also states "An Arborist report in 2005 outlined that the cypress pines in Dalmeny are suffering from a number of conditions including coastal exposure, soil compaction (from vehicles), drought and low soil fertility. Some of the cypress pines are also infected with the cypress canker. This disease is caused by several species of fungi whose spores enter the plants through natural fissures in the bark or through injuries caused by maintenance activities. Trees are more susceptible if they are stressed. Branches can die rapidly asfoliage is starved of sap and eventually the whole tree can die.This assessment report recommends that control measuresbe undertaken that includethe removal of cypress pineswith a large amount of the canker and the pruning of wind damaged pines, and care be taking to prevent the transmission of the disease between trees. The report recommends that cypress pines be removed for the construction of the shared pathway if no alternative route is available and that no new plantings of cypress pines will occur. " Narooma RSL president Paul Naylor told The Beagle he would love to have the project finished in time to be recognised on the Register of NSW War Memorials and officially opened by chaplains and representatives from the aboriginal community and other community representatives in time for Remembrance Day 2018 which will be the 100th anniversary of the cessation of the war.
