There was a time when the site of Fort Scratchley was an over grown, graffiti ridden and derelict part of town.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Now, it is a proud and historical landmark and this year thousands of poppies will lay at the grounds to commemorate Remembrance Day as part of the Fort Scratchley Historical Society’s Poppy Project.
The project will mark the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice agreement that ended the First World War and the society is asking the community to donate hand knitted or crocheted poppies.
Approximately 2176 Hunter Valley servicemen died during the Great War. The Poppy Project aims to display a poppy for each of the fallen, with about 212 collected so far.
“We should all get involved with our history,” coordinator Michelle Thompson said.
Mrs Thompson’s grandfather, Lieutenant Kernel Mort, was one of the first people behind the restoration of the site back in the early 1980s.
“Fort Scratchley was just in ruins. He rescued it with many of his ex-army mates and found where the guns were,” Mrs Thompson said.
Many of the volunteers there are now well into their 80s and work tirelessly to preserve the site to honour its military history.
Knitting groups are being invited to contact the fort if they’re looking for a venue to get together and collection points and sewing patterns for the poppies can be found at Hunter Regional Libraries and Fort Scratchley, as well as on the ‘5000 poppies’ website.
“Just turn up, shake the hands of those in uniform or volunteer, and come see the poppies,” Mrs Thompson said.