By Mackenzie Heard

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A permanent memorial honouring the six primary school children who lost their lives in the 2021 Hillcrest jumping castle tragedy will be built on coastal land in Tasmania’s north-west following approval from the Devonport City Council.

The design, which will be “about celebrating life with children in our community” features six sculptural pillars set within a wildflower garden on the Don Head foreshore at Coles Beach.

Thirteen sites across Devonport were initially considered in the design process, with Coles Beach identified as the preferred site by the families.

‘No relevance to area,’ local group says

The endorsement at Monday night’s council meeting comes after the site’s location was criticised by community group Friends of Coles Beach earlier this month, which distributed flyers in local mailboxes opposing the location.

The flyer argued the memorial was “not the right location, as it’s a place for families to escape the hardships of life” and that it had “no relevance to the local area”.

Hillcrest, a suburb of Devonport, is about 4 kilometres inland from Coles Beach.

The group also raised concerns about the memorial’s use of land “that belongs to the whole community”.

The site is on Crown land owned by the state government and leased to the council.

After significant community backlash, the group confirmed it had stopped distributing flyers.

Georgie Burt, whose son Zane Mellor died in the tragedy, said the attempt to block the memorial was “devastating”.

She said she spent “a lot of time” at Coles Beach with her son, and other affected families did as well.

At Monday’s meeting, Devonport City councillors emphatically voted to endorse both the proposed site and design.

“This site has been selected for an appropriate celebration of the children rather than a place of mourning of the Hillcrest tragedy,” councillor Damien Viney said.

Councillor Leigh Murphy said the memorial would be a “lasting tribute to the children” and for the families affected “a place for reflection, celebration, healing and unity”.

“We’re about celebrating life with children in our community,” Councillor Gerard Enniss said.

Seeds from dried floral tributes to feature

The memorial has been designed by Tasmanian landscape architects Inspiring Place in close collaboration with the families affected by the tragedy.

At the centre will be six sculptural pillars, each one representing a lost child, set within a wildflower garden alongside a walking path, stone seating and raised grass mounds.

The pillars, built from hollow mirror-finish stainless steel, will be personalised for each child and feature a quote or message from their families, the children’s favourite colours, and their names etched in their own handwriting at the base.

The pillar design will allow a shaft of sunlight to pass through a pane of glass at the top that will split the beam into colours to shine on the child’s name.

A “vibrant and colourful wildflower meadow” along with perennial grasses will surround the pillars, with the seeds of the dried flowers collected from the temporary memorial to be spread by the family during the opening of the site.

The concept design report prepared by Inspiring Place said design development would continue with the families.

Construction of the memorial will be managed by the Tasmanian government and is jointly funded by the state and federal governments.

After a two-year establishment period following the memorial’s completion, the council will take ownership of the memorial and its ongoing maintenance, with costs expected to be between $30,000 and $35,000 a year.