By Corey Everitt
Emotions were high in Bunyip at the weekend as families of the five local men who died in the Daly Waters accident gathered with the Bunyip community to honour them.
The memorial to the five men was recently restored. The event marked the completion of its restoration, its beginning as a community garden and the reassertion that the Bunyip community will never forget the five young community men tragically taken from them 55 years ago.
The event took place on Saturday 29 April at the Bunyip Football Club, where the memorial lies, during half-time of the seniors game.
David Papley, who restored the memorial with fellow Bunyip local Peter Dowie, spoke during the event, explaining the importance of keeping the memory alive and maintaining this defining memorial for Bunyip.
In December 1967, Bunyip locals and members of the Football Club, Peter Kay, Barry Sullivan, Noel Heatley, Mike Breheny and Don Smith took a holiday trip to Northern Territory, taking a light aircraft flight from Moorabbin Airport.
The plane would run out of fuel and crash in Northern Territory just 14 minutes away from Daly Waters Airstrip, the crash resulted in the death of all five men and the pilot.
The accident shook the small country town. The five men were all well-known members of the community.
The memorial was erected in May 1968.
It was this year that Dave and Peter decided to restore the memorial and begin a garden which wrapped around it.
Relatives of each man attended the event and a member of each family were invited to plant a rose to officially begin the new garden.
Jo Scanlon, the sister of Mike Breheny, with her grandchildren Bridie, Sadie and Sophie, planted the rose for the Breheny family.
David Smith planted the rose for his brother Don Smith.
Julia Bourke is the niece of Peter Kay; she planted in the memory of her uncle.
Lisa Heatley planted a rose for her brother-in-law, Noel Heatley.
Maureen Cox is the sister of Barry Sullivan, planting a rose for him.
The event drew a crowd from all over Bunyip, who will never forget the defining moment for the community or people who wish to keep the memory alive through the generations.
Family members came from all over for the event, some coming from across the state and even country.
David and Shirley Smith travelled from Perth to join the event.
The memorial and its garden will grow and be maintained by the local community and the Bunyip Football Club.
