NORTH Stradbroke Island residents are calling on council to return a flag pole hand crafted by community icon and World War II veteran Les Dufton to Cabarita Park.
An Amity Point resident, who asked not to be named, said there were a number of disgruntled locals who had been taking the fight to council over its removal in February.
"In all my history here, this is one thing that the entire community rallied behind, some very vocally and others just gave their support," he said.
"No one has heard a word against the whole idea of trying to save the flag pole. It has received universal support and there has been anger directed at council."
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The pole, believed to be more than 40 years old, was crafted out of cypress pine and shifted to Cabarita Park after Mr Dufton passed away.
The resident said the pole had been used to fly the Australian flag on commemorative occasions such as Anzac Day and served as an acknowledgement of Mr Dufton's contribution to the community.
"He operated an allotment with little fishing shacks on it called Dufton's cabins, which are still here," he said.
"He had medical training from the Second World War and he was our unofficial first aid fellow until aid facilities were established on the island."
A council spokeswoman said the pole was removed after structural risks were identified by a registered engineer.
However, the resident said council had concocted the argument to justify removing it.
"There is a qualified timber assessor in the town who conducted his own assessment and said there was some dry rot in the base but it was certainly not in an unsound condition," he said.
Residents now fear it has been stored in a location where it will wither and rot.
"I have researched it and found that it has actually just been dropped on the ground where it is imminent danger of being attacked by termites," the resident said.
"We are trying to work out what we can do about getting it stored more carefully."
A council spokeswoman said the pole had already been safely stored in a council depot at Dunwich.
She said the future of the flag pole was yet to be determined, with things like demand and ongoing management arrangements to be considered before it could be replaced.
"One idea suggested to the (Amity Point Progress) Association by council is that the removed flag pole be protected and displayed safely with historic photos and stories inside Amity Point Community Hall," the spokesperson said.
The resident said the flag pole dispute had an impact on voting during the council elections in March.
"I don't think our local councillor got too many votes from this part of the division," he said.
Locals created a makeshift pole out of bush materials to pay their respects on Anzac Day this year.
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