CRESWICK and Clunes RSLs have expressed disappointment the Australian and Aboriginal flags will no longer fly from their respective town halls, believing the council has put the issue “in the too-hard basket”.
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Hepburn Shire Council passed a policy last week the flags would now instead be flown on the footpath in front of the Creswick Hub and at the Warehouse in Clunes fronting Fraser Street.
The council has cited unsafe tower access for workers as its reason for making the change, along with the fact the buildings aren’t lit at night to allow for 24-hour flag flying.
Mayor Neil Newitt said for flags to remain on the flagpoles overnight, they needed to be lit according to national standards, which for Creswick and Clunes was “not doable” due to OHS issues.
Clunes Town Hall is currently undergoing restoration work after receiving a $100,000 grant from Heritage Victoria.
“In an ideal world you would want the flags flying above the town halls,” Cr Newitt said.
“That’s a tradition but in the interim, and with Clunes in particular, it will take a fair bit of work to bring the town halls back to their past glory.”
Cr Newitt did not have a timeframe for when stairwell access to both halls would be upgraded, but said with Clunes, it would be “a number of years”.
Clunes ex-servicemen were upset last Remembrance Day to see a tattered flag atop the town hall, questioning why the shire had not replaced it. Clunes RSL sub-branch president Norm Shearer said he hadn’t seen a flag there since.
“They actually pulled it down because they said the staircase was getting worn. Surely they could spend another few hundred dollars to get things right,” he said.
He also suggested the council use solar power to light the flags at night to keep costs down.
Creswick RSL sectary Phil Carter said the league had wanted the flag flown from the town hall last Anzac Day, but was dismissed by the council.
“It is disappointing. From the RSL’s point of view, the Creswick Town Hall is the centrepiece of Creswick and we believe you should look at all avenues to try to fix that tower, no matter what it takes. It’s a beautiful flagpole and should have a beautiful Australian flag flying off it,” he said.
”We’re really unhappy about it but they keep saying to us they won’t fix it. It’s been put in the too-hard basket.”
