Hundreds of white crosses will be placed out the front of Melton civic centre to commemorate this year’s Anzac Day centennial.
Melton Men’s Shed members have been carving and painting the wooden crosses for the past year. But the project started four years ago when Carole Doyle, co-founder of Partners of Veterans Melton sub-branch and the wife of a Vietnam veteran, asked the Men’s Shed to lend a helping hand.
“Partners and wives are the ones who suffer in silence; not many people know what it’s like to be married to a veteran,” Ms Doyle said.
“For many years as a wife, I didn’t speak about what it was like to be the wife.
“At PVA [Partners of Veterans Association], we fit in; we don’t have to explain why we’re feeling down, and we look out for each
other.”
PVA Melton is hoping to donate a large sum of the money raised from the sale of the crosses to the Young Diggers, a group which trains dogs to support present and former Australian Defence Force members who are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorders.
The commemorative crosses are available from the Melton civic centre, information centre and library, for a gold coin donation.
