The hope was for our Pride Centre to be able to fly ALL of the LGBTIQ flags, proudly inclusive to be seen from afar as a beacon of pride across the Melbourne skyline. In March this year the Pride Centre sought the donations of key community supporters to fund the important, urgent design and construction of a 15 metre flagpole atop the Pride Centre.
Heeding the call to make this dream a reality were a group of friends and some other key supporters keen to commemorate loved ones with a ‘Tribute Flagpole’. The Tribute Flagpole is a salute to the ones never to be forgotten – a parent, partner, mentor, sibling or others in our community.
Ron Thiele is one of the tight friendship circle who connected with friends to enable this project.
Our contribution today will help inspire and enable many future generations of LGBTI people by reminding them that our common purpose is to make life better for each other. That’s the power of giving to the Pride Centre, a transformational project for our community and its activists.
The donors’ gifts will be memorialised with a handsome plaque at the base of the flagpole, recording their name and the name of the ones they want acknowledged.
For donor Greg Herman-Moore his contribution to the Tribute Flagpole is deeply personal.
In remembrance of my lover and best friend for seventeen years John Paul Mc Cutchan who died from AIDS on February 15th, 2008.
For Peter McEwan, a donor and Pride Centre Board member;
“It completes the idea that the Pride Centre is the LGBTI ‘town hall’ – our own civic space”.
Garry Oliver, meanwhile, says.
“The Flags are identifiers, we have a long history and the Rainbow Flag is accepted by the wider community as the standard for the LGBTIQ community. The Pride Centre MUST have our flag proudly flying in full view.”
All gifts to the Pride Centre are fully tax-deductible.
Donors: Ron Thiele and Frederick Paralas, Ian Gould, Garry Oliver, Peter McEwan, Greg Herman-Moore, Stephen and Lawrence Barrow-Yu.
Photo by Serge Thomann
Left to right (back): Peter McEwan, Garry Oliver, Jacqueline Herman, Greg Herman-Moore, Ian Gould. Kneeling: Ron Thiele and Frederick Paralas