Casterton's Fleur De Lys

Location :

1 Moodie St, Casterton VIC 3311
Added by Jopie, at 21 January 2016

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• Ania

  28 January 2016

  If you're in the area at night when the sign glows brightly to emphasise its presence you cannot help but wonder what that symbol on the hill is doing there.
  It is a version of the Scout symbol the Fleur de Lys, and it sits high on the side of Toorak Hill at the end of Casterton's main street.
  Per local resident Jean McCallum, carving things into this hill began in 1935 during celebrations to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V. The Scoutmaster at the time organised for the local Scouts and Cubs to march from the post office to the top of the hill where they proceeded to light up the words 'The King' which had been carved into the hill earlier.
  According to a local report of the event, the letters were '20 feet long and had been dug in the earth to a depth of nine inches'.
  In 1941 the Scouts once again took to the hill, carving the Scouting emblem into the ground, and communicating via semaphore with a guide in the middle of the main street to make sure they were getting it right.
  The symbol was lit up using a series of tins with oil soaked rags in them.
  The symbol was re-lit until some years later when it was decided to light it up permanently.
  Today strip lighting is installed around the symbol, and it takes colorful appearance over Christmas with the use of multi colored perspex.

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