Part of the City of Gosnells Civic Centre Gardens surrounding the War Memorial has been renamed Anzac Gardens, with the new name in place ahead of this year’s Anzac Day dawn service.
The change was approved by Minister for Veterans Affairs and local MP Matt Keogh, who said the use of the word “Anzac” is carefully controlled and must be tied to commemoration.
“The word ‘Anzac’ is sacred to Australians,” he said during his address.
“It holds deep national significance and represents the courage, sacrifice and service of the original Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.”
Mr Keogh said commemorative spaces such as the Gosnells War Memorial site were appropriate for the name because they reflect the service of those who served and died.
“It is a great way of commemorating service and really creating the space,” he said.
He said applications to use the term are assessed based on whether they have a clear connection to honouring service.
“I think it’s really important that where people are wanting to use the word Anzac that it does have a clear relationship to the service of our people in uniform and commemoration of that service,” he said.
The minister said each application is considered on its own merits, though more local governments may look at similar changes.
“I don’t expect that we have a rush, but you have a trickle of people making these sorts of changes as a form of acknowledgement and commemoration,” he said.
Gosnells Mayor Terresa Lynes said the renaming would not bring major physical changes to the site but would reinforce its purpose as a place of remembrance.
“We’ll maintain the gardens to a good standard so it’s reflective of the importance of Anzac,” she said.
Mayor Lynes said the city had spoken with veterans’ groups, including RSL WA, during the process.
“They were super keen for anything that local governments wanted to do to expand Anzac because obviously, it’s more than just one day,” she said.
She said there were also restrictions around how the name could be used.
“We weren’t allowed to have Anzac in capital letters,” she said.
“We wanted to call it Anzac Park, but we weren’t allowed to call it Anzac Park either… so we were allowed to have Anzac Gardens.”
The mayor said the new name would help strengthen local recognition of Anzac Day.
“When people walk by, they’ll realise that Anzac is important, and it will give people that space to reflect and understand a bit more about the history of this country,” she said.
Mayor Terresa also said the city had also worked to involve the community in the lead-up, including local schools creating poppies for Anzac Day displays.
She added that the rename would help create a lasting space for reflection within the community.
According to the City, the Gosnells RSL will hold its annual dawn service at the site on Saturday, now officially known as Anzac Gardens.
