FAIRFIELD Council has refused a request from the Assyrian Levies Association for public space to commemorate their contribution to Australia's defence in wartime.
President of the association, Gaby Kiwarkis, said Fairfield was an ideal location given nearly 30,000 Assyrian Australians live in here: two thirds of the Assyrian Australian population.
``We want Australians to know who we are,'' Mr Kiwarkis said. ``To lose two thirds of our population fighting for Australia is a significant contribution.
``We also want the Assyrian community to engage with the Australian population, we want to strengthen the connection between them.''
The concept was proposed by Cr Zaya Toma last November. He said with one in every six residents of Fairfield city identifying as Assyrian and the association willing to meet costs, it should not be ``a big ask''.
He referred to Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, who led the Assyrian units and formed close bonds to the Australian troops.
But Mayor Nick Lalich said the association should explore support from the community for its proposal.
``Many countries whose communities are represented in our city contributed to the Allied Forces effort in the World Wars and it is impractical to consider individual monuments for all of them,'' he said.
Email a friend