The removal of a controversial war memorial and wall of remembrance at Copacabana Beach by Central Coast Council on August 1 has divided the community of the beachside town.
The Wall of Roses memorial was erected by the Navy Veterans’ Welfare Association of NSW, established by Roque Hammal at Copacabana more than 20 years ago.
Hammal and his supporters say removing the memorial is disrespectful to the families of veterans lost at sea, while other community members have been frustrated by the a memorial being erected without the proper consents from Council.
Removal of the memorial follows a decision made by Council in 2023 to hand over to the RSL the organisation of Anzac Day services at Copacabana, which had been run by the Navy Veterans’ Welfare Association (NVWA) since 2020.
Council said at the time the decision followed a review of the 2022 event and receipt of up to 60 letters from members of the community, although the letters were never made public.
Hammal collected more than 570 signatures on a petition calling for the NVWA to continue conducting the Copacabana service and dozens of letters of support but the Council decision held firm.
A Council spokesperson said earlier this year that Council was notified of the unauthorised construction of a war memorial and surrounding infrastructure in the vicinity of Copacabana Surf Club.
“The unauthorised structures were built on Council land without prior approval or consent,” the spokesperson said.
“Once Council was made aware of these structures, Council requested it be removed by the person responsible however this request was ignored.
“The integrity and safety of the works is also unknown.
“Council is obliged to ensure facilities and structures erected or placed on Council land are done so lawfully.
“After consultation with Heritage NSW and the RSL, the structures were carefully removed by Council staff on August 1.
“As the structures were also within … a known Aboriginal heritage listed site, Council engaged an appropriate Aboriginal party to supervise the removal works.
“Following the removal of the structures, Council remediated the site back to its original state.
“The removed items are currently being stored by Council and available for collection by Mr Hammal or whomever he might nominate to collect them.”
But Hammal, himself a Navy veteran, says the memorial featured 57 name plaques of those who served.
He claims a small group of “faceless residents” have been determined to destroy his reputation and have exerted undue influence on decision makers, with Council denying him the right of reply to criticisms.
Hammal wrote to Heritage NSW in June this year to ascertain the exact nature of the Aboriginal heritage listed site, to be informed there are no heritage restrictions on any part of the Copacabana Beach foreshore zone.
It would appear to me, that Council, in collaboration with said RSL, driven by local power house personalities, for reasons known only to themselves, had a deep desire to destroy this monument. I would even stated a certain level of racism portrayed by Copacabanna identities, who verbally & maliciously attacked Mr. Roque Hammal, openly & publicly, on a number of occasions, suggesting he would never be “ an Australian, & should go back where he came from. Mr.Hammal has been a British Citizen since birth, and became an Australian by choice, when he joined the R.A.N ( Royal Australian Navy) at age 17. As a result of his Service, he is a highly decorated War Veteran. Unlike many of those persons racially attacking him, who more than likely, were never part of the Armed Forces.
With regard to theRSL in particular, they had NEVER held an ANZAC DAY Ceremony at Copacabanna, therefore when Mr.Hammal got his original permission, from local Council, to hold this revered Ceremony, he was not intruding or stepping on anyone’s toes. Only after Mr. Hammal made this such a successful Annual event, with an impressive attendance of local Citizens & invited dignataries, did the RSL make moves, to take it over, apparently with the support of local Council.
The supposed 60 letters Council claims to hold opposing the Memorial, have NEVER been proven or released.
In every town & city in Australia, there are Memorials, as there should be, to our Fallen magnificent & brave Soldiers. Yet our Sailors are hardly recognised. Geraldton WA, has a magnificent Memorial to HMAS Sydney, sunk in 1941, with a total loss of all crew. It took more than 60 years for that Memorial to be built. Memorial/ Monument Hill in Fremantle, also has a striking Naval Memorial dedicated to our Sailors. This was a Project created, designed & built with more than $10,000 raised by Mr. Hammal, assisted by members of the Naval Welfare group, he created, to assist these members. So his dedication to the memory of our fallen Sailors, is long standing & VERY genuine. This deep desire is what motivated him to begin the ANZAC Service, in Copacabanna, as there was a need, for aging local Veterans, to attend, without having to travel far. The Memorial followed on from that.
I do not believe that Mr.,Hammal proceeded with this project, without any permission, and in total defiance of Councils direction. He is a man of high principal & ethics, who dots the”I”s and crosses the “t”S, and is a stickler for legal protocol.
If this newspaper genuinely wishes to establish his bona tides, then you should check his credentials with DVA,at how successful he has been in winning very difficult cases to get Servicemen, both serving & Veterans,from ALL Services, a successful outcome, for their award Service Entitlements, that had been denied to them, by DVA, for MANY years. In my own case, 32 years ! One of the unbelievably number, who “ fell through the cracks” for Service the Government did not want to acknowledge. Mr. Hammal has been very successful as an Advocate, and no doubt making high profile enemies, happy to assist in tearing him down.
Additionally, there is a pirate & cowardly Website, that has consistently, over many years, denigrated Mr.Hammals War Service Medals, telling lies about his entitlement to wear them. They will not reveal themselves, as there is a good case to sue them for defamation.
As a newspaper, you have sources and investigative powers, to dig deeper, however you have to have the will, plus payment for the hours taken to built a story, and as this is only NEWSWORTHY for such a short time, it’s probably not a viable proposition for you.
However, Mr. Hammal has the everlasting respect & thanks from countless Service personnel, Veterans & War Widows, Australia wide, who has enriched our lives, by the Pensions & Benefits he got for we all, at no charge whatsoever to us. We enjoy a quality of life that we could only dream about, thanks to his untold hours of work on many cases, and his intimate knowledge of all legalities, acts, etc, and all the complexity in dealing with a Government monolith, such as DVA.
To see his name & character besmirched, plus “ personal crucifiction” of this most stalwart man, by Copacabannaites, & their cohorts, is nothing but SHAMEFUL.
What an absolute atrocity that this wonderful and well designed memorial has been removed. So what if it didn’t get Council approval. My late father was a WW2 Navy veteran and I saw this memorial as a tribute to him and all other Navy veterans.
What next? Will Council start removing all the road side crosses / memorials?