The Bondi Memorial has been made possible with the financial contribution of the Waverley Council, who contributed $100,000 towards the project, as well as the many LGBTQ community members and supporters who donated funds to ACON’s community fundraising drive.
We extend particular thanks and appreciation to Stephen Heasley and Andrew Borg, who helped make the Bondi Memorial Project a reality with their philanthropic donation of $64,000.
The contribution was made under the terms of their settlement with online printing company Vistaprint. In September 2017, Mr Heasley and Mr Borg were horrified to discover that instead of their custom-designed resources, they had been sent dozens of copies of what they perceived to be hateful, discriminatory and anti-gay pamphlets.
In February 2018, their case was resolved. As part of the resolution, Vistaprint apologised to Mr Heasley and Mr Borg, affirmed their support for diversity and agreed to direct a contribution to an LGBTQ organisation of their choosing in Australia.
“We chose the Bondi Memorial Project for its purpose of shining a light on the impacts of bigotry, prejudice and discrimination, and the importance of valuing diversity in the community,” Mr Borg said.
“We’re proud to be part of this important project.”
“Our goal was to turn a negative experience into an opportunity to support positive change,” Mr Heasley added.
“We hope the memorial will honour the victims and others impacted by this dark chapter in our community’s history while commemorating our shared journey for justice and progress towards a brighter and more equal future for all.”