Tambellup community set to bury grim history and plant new park at site of murder

The site of a vile murder will get a new beginning when it is revamped into a low-maintenance park. In August 2019, Gregory John William Quartermaine brutally murdered his friend Wilfred Williams with a machete and knives in a meth-fuelled attack and is now serving a life sentence behind bars. Shire of Broomehill-Tambellup chief executive Anthony Middleton said it would be good to use the space for community activities and remove the tarnished reputation attached to the land. “It will be a place where the community can gather and have a fresh start moving forward,” he said. “About 12 months ago, the council agreed to accept ownership of the block from the Department of Communities and since then we have consulted with the public on how to best use the land.” “We had an agenda item last week and based on the information we received, we decided to build a low-maintenance park.” The council has scheduled a community planting day for members of the shire to help plant native vegetation with an Aboriginal cultural vision at the forefront. “The shire will do most of the heavy lifting with the construction but we have tentatively locked in August 4 for the community planting day,” Mr Middleton said. “We will scatter mulch and plant native plants with Aboriginal influence. “Tambellup’s population is one-third Indigenous and through consultation with the community, we have decided this is a great idea.” Mr Middleton said there would not be a memorial for Wilfred Williams since it was more about moving forward for a fresh start. The park will be on the first block seen when entering the town from the north and has not yet been named.