Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke today presented $1000 in funding which will help recreate the Cowra Prisoner of War Camp as it was in the 1940s.
The grant will enable the Cowra Breakout Association to create a 3D model of the campsite, giving online viewers a photo-realistic experience of what the camp looked like when it was operational between 1941 and 1947.
“Cowra Prisoner of War Camp has played such a significant role in the history and development of the town and this 3D model will be a fantastic way to give visitors an idea of what it was like,” Ms Cooke said.
“I’ve seen some preliminary images and it’s amazing just how lifelike they look, people will be able to get a better understanding of just how big the camp was and how significant it was to Cowra back in the 1940s.
“To be able to present a virtual view of the Prisoner of War Camp is an incredible way to promote Cowra’s place in world history and to attract even more visitors to this wonderful town,” Ms Cooke added.
Graham Apthorpe, of the Cowra Breakout Association, explained how the model was created.
“We have all the original plans, we know where the buildings were, there have been surveys done so we can use that geo data and drop that onto the site – we can rebuild the buildings and put them back in place,” he said.
“Then we can render it so that it doesn’t look like a cartoon, it will look very realistic.
“We can create a flyover as if you’re in a drone or helicopter and you’re flying over and around the camp, looking at it as it was around the time of the breakout.
“We aim to have it finished by July so that it will be ready for the 75th anniversary of the breakout on August 5,” he added.
