Leeuwen aan de Menenpoort

Parlementair Jan Vercammen is het idee om replica's van de leeuwen een vaste plaats in Ieper te geven genegen. 

Om te informeren hoe men in Australië hierover denkt, stuurde hij -via zijn parlementair medewerker- onderstaande vraag naar de ambassade. 

Dear Honorable Ambassador,

I write to you in name of dr. Jan Vercammen, representative in the Belgian Parliament and in the municipal counsel of Ypers.

As you know, Australia has given two stone guardian lions in a temporary loan to the city of Ypers.  The lions were given as a token of respect and friendship towards the Australian people after the heroic efforts made in the first World War in Belgium. 
Ironically, because the lions were given to your country, they were a bit forgotten with the wider audience, and now people are very excited about them. Left and right we hear people ask to do something more with them. A suggestion that comes up a lot is to make (maybe smaller) replicas with an explanatory text accompanying them, so the replicas can stay in Ypers after the original lions return to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. This way the bond between our countries and the remembrance for the Australian effort in the war can be highlighted in a more permanent way in Ypers.

The local responsible representative is looking into the matter and said to have contacted the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the last post Association and the Australian Government.

Have you heard of this suggestion, and is it an idea where the Australian Government is willing to follow? Or is the current situation preferable?

Sincerely yours,

Carl Deconinck,
Parliamentary assistant