29 November 2019

Melbourne’s Eternal Flame burning brighter than ever following dedicated overhaul

The Eternal Flame within Melbourne’s iconic Shrine of Remembrance will burn as bright as ever for another 65 years following a committed overhaul of the symbol just completed by three Victorian groups.

Multinet Gas Networks – a leading Victorian gas distributor – has joined forces with Melbourne’s RMIT University and Clifton Hill-based Dant Industries Limited to re-build the Eternal Flame burner and replace other necessary components.

Multinet Gas is part of the national Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) which made the urgent call for the extended life of the gas-fired Flame to be assured by the manufacture and installation of a new burner.

AGIG’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ben Wilson, said that after more than 65 years of continuous operation since being commissioned in Melbourne in 1954 by Queen Elizabeth II, the burner component of the Eternal Flame was seen to be seriously deteriorated.

“For fear of the Flame extinguishing, we set about working closely with personnel from the RMIT and Dant Industries to design and produce a new burner as close as possible to the original design and appearance,” Mr Wilson said.

“We are all very proud of the completed overhaul which will see the Eternal Flame burn 24/7 for another 65 years and continue this perpetual remembrance of the heroism of those who gave their lives during the years of the Second World War,” he said.

Multinet Gas Contract Support Manager, Mr Steve Walton, said the Eternal Flame held a special place within Multinet Gas and its people and the company’s long association within the Shrine of Remembrance complex.

“We therefore got straight down to business as soon as we heard of the looming problems with the Flame’s burner and associated components,” he said.

“Our sincere thanks to the availability and promptness of RMIT University’s Paul Spithill and Dant Industries’ Malcolm Ashworth and their respective teams in turning around and completing the delicate overhaul exercise in such a short time.

The three companies basically had to start from scratch by tracking down the company that built the Flame’s original bowl and burner, signing a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Shrine, and arranging a time when they could get crews on site to do the works.

Dant Industries, the company responsible for supplying parts, including the bowl and the burner, since the 1970s, took 3D imagery and moulds during a strip down, leading to the eventual outcome of the RMIT manufacturing the new burner head this month.

Mr Walton said that with the successful refurbishment work now behind them and the Flame burning brightly, the regular maintenance of the assets will continue to be faithfully maintained by Multinet Gas Networks.

About AGIG

Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) owns and operates one of Australia’s largest gas infrastructure businesses with operations across every mainland state and the Northern Territory supplying approximately 2 million customers. Operations include 40,000km of distribution and transmission gas pipelines, 57 petajoules of gas storage capacity, gas processing facilities and remote power generation.

AGIG’s vision is to be the leading gas infrastructure business in Australia – by delivering for customers, being a good employer, and being sustainably cost efficient.

AGIG has a strong record of performance, delivering over $2 billion worth of projects on time, on budget and with safety a priority. A recent example of major project success is the new Tanami natural gas pipeline, built on budget in the Northern Territory for Newmont Goldcorp and commissioned earlier this year ahead of schedule.

For further information contact

Andrew Staniford, 
Chief Customer Officer, AGIG
T  (08) 8418 1125  
M  (0438) 897 174  
 

John Field, 
Field Public Relations
M  (0418) 819 527