Mitchell Rotary Club initiative helps preserve World War II history

Known as the V Gate, it originated from the actions of two local graziers and good mates, Bert Noon and Jimmy Timmins who, upon hearing that victory had been declared in the Pacific on August 15, 1945, and World War II was over, spontaneously erected a tin V on a laneway in the Dunkeld district.

Mitchell Rotary Club president Gary Birkett said the pair had wanted to do something to commemorate the occasion and cut the V out of the bottom of an old galvanised tank.

"It was a pretty thoughtful thing to do. The men likely both had family overseas fighting, and a lot of young men from the area were out in the Pacific, so they would have been greatly relieved by the news," he said.

The marker has had a chequered history over the past 77 years, being attached to a nearby tree when the lane was fenced, which was then bulldozed when the intersection was widened.

Mr Birkett was on the local shire council at the time and said 'all hell broke loose'.

As a result, Rotary decided to put a permanent memorial up, panel-beating the V and its bullet holes, and adding a plaque.

"We're thinking of putting in a shelter with table and chairs there, and signpost it," Mr Birkett said. "It's a bit out of the way and probably doesn't rank with the Australian War Memorial, but it's important to us."

There are also plans to research the names of the men from the district that served in the war, and add that history to the memorial.

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