By JONATHON HOWARD
SOUTHERN Downs Regional councillors were asked to consider a motion to relocate a monument dedicated to Mary Poppins’ author, Pamela Lyndon Travers (1899-1996).
Councillors raised the motion during Wednesday’s (28 May) general meeting in Stanthorpe.
Mrs Travers spent part of her early childhood in Allora and became a global sensation with her children’s books based around the magical nanny character, Mary Poppins.
Allora sculptor, Vern Foss, created the monument in 2003 and it was placed on the corner of the New England Highway and Short Street, Allora.
The monument was made possible through funding from RADF, Arts Queensland and the former Warwick Shire Council.
However, a request from an Allora resident was made to relocate the monument from its current location to a more prominent location in the centre of Allora.
The resident, who was not named, told council the monument was “in the middle of nowhere”.
The suggested new location for the monument was the newly established park in Allora on the corner of Herbert and Drayton streets, which would also become known as either “Pamela Travers Park”, “P L Travers Park” or “Travers Park” – to be determined by councillors.
A meeting was held on 4 April with interested parties from Allora expressed their wishes for the monument to be relocated.
The monument will require specialist equipment to relocate it without damaging at a cost of $1,972.75.
The monument will need a small concrete slab to rest on, in order to keep maintenance costs down.
The motion was expected to be passed by council.
