August 18, 2014
Wondai’s Charlotte The Emu Memorial Committee hope to launch their public fundraising effort to build a permanent memorial to the town’s much-loved emu within the next few weeks.
The committee held its fourth meeting at CROW-FM’s studios last week, four months after the emu was accidentally run over in a Wondai street.
Station manager and Committee chairperson Chris “Corky” Corcoran told fellow members CROW-FM had applied to the Department Of Fair Trading for permission to set up a separate bank account which would be used to hold public donations for the project.
He believed the station would receive final approval within a few weeks.
Once this was given, fundraising would begin and specially marked collection tins would be distributed to business houses in Wondai, Murgon and Kingaroy so members of the public who wanted to make a donation to the project could do so easily.
The delay in obtaining approval for the project account meant that a planned outside broadcast in conjunction with this month’s Wondai Markets has had to be set back a month, and so has a radiothon that will follow shortly afterwards.
The committee also voted at the meeting to sign a contract with Kilkivan sculptor Dan Davie to build a life-size, 3D steel sculpture of the emu which will be erected in Coronation Park.
Mr Davie, an award-winning metal artist, constructed Kilkivan’s well-known sculpture of Fabian Webb.
Mr Corcoran told the meeting Mr Davie had advised that he expects to be able to begin work on the project in mid-November, and have it finished before Christmas Eve.
The $10,000 the project is expected to cost will be raised solely from within the community, without any form of government assistance.
“Wondai was Charlotte’s home and this project has been suggested by the community. So it’s appropriate that when it’s completed it is wholly owned by the community,” Mr Corcoran said.
The station is now seeking donations for the radiothon, which is expected to be held in October.
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