By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
NORM Barr’s legacy is attached to each name engraved in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
The late Narre Warren Rotarian, and his cousin Robert, were solely responsible for producing the memorial’s honour roll in 1963, a series of bronze plaques recognising each of those people who gave their life for Australia.
Norm and Robert, who together had inherited the family business Arrow Engraving and Foundry Pty Ltd, individually checked every one of the 102,000 names of the dead from all Australian military campaigns engraved and remembered in Canberra.
The name were hand-set in Victoria and then transported to the country’s capital.
Cecilia, Norm’s daughter, this week recalled travelling to the War Memorial with her father and mother, Nanette, where her dad was treated with complete reverence.
“We’d been to the War Memorial a few times, with Dad, and Mum, in our travels around Australia and to just to go there and for Dad to be treated like a guest of honour himself, just for having made the engravings, was incredible,” Cecilia said.
“And then to be taken on internal guided tours of the War Memorial.
“I remember that, I remember going through and just going wow, Dad was treated so well. And us kids, wandering around as well, just quietly, because we knew it was such a big thing.”
Cecilia, who was born after Norm completed the War Memorial engravings, remembers growing up working for the family business and hearing stories of what her father helped create.
Her father’s legacy in Canberra came to mean even more to Cecilia when she attended the Anzac service in Gallipoli in 1990 while travelling through Europe.
“I remember it being cold, really cold, and very emotional,” she said.
“To be there and to be looking around as the dawn happened. And then you could start seeing where you were. It really was goosebump stuff, it was amazing, absolutely amazing.”
As well as in Canberra, Norm Barr left an indelible mark in Narre Warren – his home suburb for the best part of two decades.
Norm was a much-loved member of the Narre Warren Rotary Club, introduced to the group by his friend and fellow Rotarian John Randall.
Norm became president of the club in 1981 and was recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow in 1982.
“We’re still in touch with so many of the Rotarians, from that initial starting point. It’s amazing,” Cecilia said.
“All of us kids that used to muck around at the different events that they had, Christmas parties and stuff.
“They’re all in their forties and fifties now and we’re still Facebook friends, from all that time ago.”
