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THE Ararat War Memorial will be given a makeover courtesy of a sizable grant from the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
The department will provide $20,000 to see work done to repair the cenotaph and surrounding concourse.
A project committee has been formed comprising of representatives from Ararat Rural City Council and the Ararat RSL, who will oversee the restoration of the community icon.
President of the Ararat Returned and Services League, Frank Neulist said the committee has already met to begin the process leading up to tender.
"There has been a report provided by a company from Melbourne about the type of work that needs doing," he said.
"I dare say we will have a look at the report and discuss it at the meeting before tenders go out. It is a specialised area, you need people with expertise."
The current War Memorial is about 80 years old and is currently suffering from water damage, with a lot of the bronze features badly stained as a result.
Mr Neulist said there are a number of repairs that will need to take place as part of the $20,000 grant.
"We have been noticing for some time that the War Memorial is looking a bit tattered - the whole area needs a good clean-up," he said.
"There is a lot of moss damage that has occurred on the seating around the structure and eaten into the sandstone. Three out of the four cornerstone pavers are missing, the sundial that was around the back was stolen some years ago.
"We want to repair all that.
"It has got to be finished by Anzac Day next year, so we would like it to be complete within the 12 months."
Replacing the lighting and original heritage paint work will also be considered as part of the project.
Mr Neulist said he was looking forward to seeing the significant Ararat structure restored to its original glory.
"As I have told the Council, this is a community facility to be proud of," he said.
"It doesn't belong to the RSL - even though I guess we have invested interest in it - it belongs to the whole community. They (members of the public) are the ones who put the money in to build it in the first place and the book that was recently launched ('Remembering the Call' by Marion McAdie) documents all of that."