The 2.6-metre tall statue, featuring a marble bust and the words “Donald Mackay was a man who had the courage and the honesty not to look the other way”, will stand on the median strip between the visitors’ centre and the ambulance station.
An ardent anti-drugs campaigner and committed community stalwart, Mr Mackay was murdered in 1977, but his legacy of integrity and courage lives on, according to the secretary of the Rotary Club of Griffith, Jim Corbett.
“I think that we’d like to see the community recognise it is a memorial to him for his work in the community and also his responsible approach to the problem that was looming here with drugs,” Mr Corbett said.
“We also see it as some sort of closure for the family who haven’t had any following his death.”
Fellow Rotarian Rick Schwarzer said the fact that the community raised the $40,000 to fund the project in just eight weeks was a clear indication of the esteem Mr Mackay was held in.
“I think it’s a chance for the community to acknowledge the work he did in establishing Kalinda School and Pioneers Lodge and recognise the benefits that grew from his participation as a concerned citizen of Griffith,” Mr Schwarzer said.
Don Mackay’s son, Paul, said he wished to thank all those involved in the project.
“It would have meant a lot to my mum (Barbara), but sadly she’s not here to see it,” he said. “I am grateful for the support of so many ordinary citizens who wanted to see the monument there.”
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