Minister unveils permanent memorial to honour workers who died building Warragamba Dam- Minister Phillip Costa MP - 17 October 2010
The Keneally Government today unveiled a permanent memorial to the workers who died building Warragamba Dam 50 years ago.
NSW Minister for Water Phil Costa said the memorial would be an important monument to remember the 14 workers who tragically lost their lives during construction.
"For close to 20 years, 1800 people from more than 30 nations worked three shifts a day, seven days a week to build Warragamba Dam, and the result was an engineering marvel that continues to provide most of Sydney’s water today," Minister Costa said.
"The work was hard, the conditions were difficult and the workers didn’t enjoy the strict safety standards in place today.
"Tragicallly, a number of workers died during construction, and it is fitting that today, on the dam’s 50th anniversary, we are unveiling the memorial in the presence of the families who lost loved ones during construction.
"This memorial will honour the 14 labourers, carpenters, drillers, and other workers who died in workplace accidents while building the dam, constructing the emergency pipeline or clearing the valley.
"More than 100 family members will be joining us to dedicate this memorial in recognition of their lost loved ones, with relatives coming from as far afield as Western Australia to be part of today’s ceremony.
"We will also be joined by hundreds of other workers and their families."
Minister Costa said the Sydney Catchment Authority has conducted an exhaustive search of the available records to identify the 14 men who are known to have died during construction.
"While a thorough investigation has been completed, there is a chance that there were other fatalities that have not yet come to light. If that’s the case, we will ensure those workers are appropriately recognised as well."
The SCA is still seeking family members of Karl Ludwig Gustavsen, Marjan Palecek, Robert Pickering, Harold Raymond Hodgson and William Frederick Gibb, known to have died during construction, to notify them of the new memorial.
Anyone with information that could help the SCA locate the families of the men can contact the SCA’s Senior Community Engagement Officer, Madeleine Dignam on (02) 4725 2509.
