The task of attaching a poppy to each of the plaques will be started by 80 students from Phoenix P-12 Community College.  

Ballarat Specialist School will then finish the final section of about 800 plaques on Tuesday.

The idea to attach the poppies to mark Anzac Day was suggested by Haddon and District Lions Club member Chris Rigg.

“Three years ago, I first thought about that,” he said. “I put the proposal to the Haddon and District Lions Club and they said they would back me to the hilt. They said, ‘You organise it’, so I did and I have been at the coalface the whole time.” 

The poppies will remain in place until Remembrance Day. 

“Australia is a free country because of the sacrifices,” Mr Rigg said. 

“I think it is just a marvellous thing, thousands and thousands of people travel the avenue and they will notice the poppies.”

The connection with the school developed randomly at a meeting, according to Avenue of Honour committee president Bruce Price.

“We were at the Olive Grove and we were discussing all these problems and there was a guy sitting against the wall on his laptop and after 20 minutes or so he came up to us and said he couldn’t help but overhearing what we were talking about,” Mr Price said. “He said, ‘I think it is a fantastic idea and I can give you all the volunteers you want because I am the principal of Phoenix College’.

“They will learn a lot themselves in doing it and develop some pride and a sense of honouring those who served.” 

The attaching of the poppies is expected to begin at 9.30am and finish about 12.30pm, with students broken into groups to complete sections of the huge task. 

Mr Price urged drivers to slow down while travelling along the avenue on Monday. 

Lions Clubs from Mount Bolton, Ballarat, Alfredton and Lucas, and Sebastopol are involved in the project.

matthew.dixon@fairfaxmedia.com.au