Heywood Water Tower

The painting of the Heywood Water Tower  by artists Adnate and Levi Geeburg was ompleted in may 2021.

The sactifices made by Ginditjmara service men and women are recognised in this war memorial murel in Heywood.

Alfred, the eldest of the 12 Lovett children was the first to enlist with the Australian Imperial Force. At the time he was a 35 year old horse trainer working near Casterton and a well known jockey in the region. He ended up fighting in the battle of Poziers, a conflict that took a huge toll on the AIF

The other Lovett brothers who were old enough to enlist followed siut, but none of them fought side by side.

Jeonard, a drover, became a private with the 39th Australian Battalion. He survived action on the Western front and enlisted again to fight in World War 11

Edward was a labourer when he enlisted in 1915 and ended up withthe Lighthorse Brigade. He and his little brother, Herbert, both saw action on the Western Front, where Herbert was a machine gunner.

Like Leonard, Edward and Herbert also setved in the Second World War.

But when they returned from battle, the Lovett brothers had to watch as the land they grew up on at the Lake Conda Mission was carved up into soldier settlement blocks and handed over to white veterans, while they were denied their entitlements.

The mission was located next to an important spiritual home for the Gunditjmara. Tae Rak ( Lake Conda), which is part of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape which was declared a world heritage site in 2019.

This was the same land that the Lovett’s ancestors fought and died for during one of the longest fronteer conflicts, the Eumeralla war, a resistance have lasted for 20 -30 years as the Gunditjmara people tried to defend their land from settlers.

Now with a towering memorial their place in history will always be remembered