| Dear Readers. It just so happens that recently I found out that Snowy River Shire Council is reviewing its Local Heritage Study at the moment. Upon further investigation, I found out that the current Statement of Significance associated with the Statue of Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki in Banjo Patterson Park, on the shores of beautiful Lake Jindabyne, has a mere 2 LINES!!! It states: "This is a representative example of a landmark monument dedicated to a significant historical figure." Of course the Statue means a lot more than that, but the view of the Polish Community need to be incorporated into the public documentation!
Similarly, the Jindabyne Foreshore Park and Land, is a local Heritage "Cultural Landscape" with the words "This is a representative example of a cultural landscape developed in the 1950's".
As it turns out, due to my enquiries, I have been invited to work with the Council's Strategic Planner and Heritage Advisor (in a voluntary capacity) to augment the relevant Statements of Significance, and provide additional information. I have agreed to undertake this work in a few weeks time, by going down to Jindabyne and working with the relevant Council officers directly.
However, I feel that my work on the Statements will have much more meaning and "representativity" if I was able to reflect a truly collective view of what the Statue means to the Polish Community, and possibly even the Lake Foreshore in its vicinity.
So, I would like people to send me a submission, in a few lines, expressing your thoughts about what the Statue means to YOU, in either Polish or English. Please provide your comments within two weeks. I hope to get comments from all over Australia, from all Polish organisations, from all people in different walks of life, from the Polish Embassy to Polish Dance Ensembles, Polish Scouts, Polish Sporting Organisations, including skiing and hiking groups, Businesses, people who visit the area, historical societies, Poles everywhere really. I hope to get submissions from Poland, the States, and any other countries who have either visited the Statue, or read or heard about it, or who take a historical interest in the achievements of Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki. I hope to have submissions from the schools in Poland who have Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki as their patron. I hope to get submissions from the descendants of the various branches of the Strzelecki family.
All submissions will be attached and provided to the Council as supporting documentation. Those in Polish will be translated into English. My role will be to summarise the collective values into a general draft Statement, and the Council's Heritage Advisor will have the final say about what is proposed to be included. Ultimately, the Council will adopt the Statement through adopting the revised Heritage Study.
As part of the visit, I hope to try and encourage progress on the restoration of the Statue which has some slate tiles on the plinth desperately in need of conservation/replacement. For this work to commence, a scope of works and quote need to be obtained, and further information about this task will be provided to readers.
Submissions should be sent by email to redakcja@pulspolonii.com by 20 August 2011.
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