Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance is under fire from veterans who are furious over its decision to host corporate events as part of a commercial deal with a catering company.
The five-year deal with Peter Rowland Group will see the war memorial, one of Australia’s most sacred sites, host events including cocktail parties, business breakfasts and annual general meetings, with a $185/person “Dine at the Shrine” night already pencilled in for March next year.
The Shrine’s CEO said the deal would help it reach “diverse audiences”, but Aussie Veterans’ Association president Dave Menz said the memorial was “meant to be sacred” but had sold out and was now “trampling on the dead”.
“It all comes down to dollars, that’s what it is, nothing else,” he told The Age.
“Why is the Shrine doing it, if not for money? They’re forgetting the veterans who served and still serve. They’re forgetting it’s a place of remembrance … and they’re selling out the veterans’ memories.”
Mr Menz said that allowing alcohol to be served on the grounds, where drinking is forbidden out of respect for the fallen, was inappropriate and made no sense.
He said that if the Shrine was short on cash it could simply charge a small fee for admission, but added that the government should do more to help the memorial, which made a $4.4 million loss last financial year.
“I blame the government for not funding the Shrine enough that these spineless individuals have to resort to this deal,” he told the Herald Sun.
A spokesperson for the Shrine defended the decision and said it was “committed to preserving the integrity of this sacred space while engaging the community in new and meaningful ways” and that it would refuse any function that conflicted with its “values, vision or purpose”.
Shrine of Remembrance chief executive Dean Lee said: “This partnership with Peter Rowland Group reflects our commitment to offering meaningful experiences, enabling the Shrine to reach diverse audiences, forge new connections, and support capacity to deliver impactful programs that preserve history and inspire future generations.”
In 2021 anti-Covid tyranny protesters held a peaceful protest at the Shrine but were attacked and tear-gassed by Victoria Police, and smeared in the corporate media and by RSL Victoria. The RSL has representatives on the Shrine’s Board of Trustees, which approved the catering deal.
Header image credit: Jorge Lascar (Flickr) Tiers of Brad, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
