Brett Wild, chairman of the Branxton-Greta Memorial Cycleway, knows it's his big chance.
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For the best part of four years he's been working hard, lobbying council and politicians - both state and federal ... "John Barilaro, Michael Johnson, and Joel Fitzgibbon federally, Cessnock Council too" - to get sufficient funding to start his cycleway.
It's a project, he says, that will not only benefit the two communities, but will also honour the 321 men from the towns who have fought in various conflicts over the years.
The reason he is excited is that with the State Government desperately looking to kick-start a sluggish economy by funding a whole range of infrastructure projects - including a host in the Maitland-Cessnock region already - the cycleway has plans already approved and is "shovel ready".
"We just need the go ahead," he said. "It ticks all the boxes. It is a significant piece of infrastructure that would benefit the community, it's shovel ready, and I would think 90 per cent of the construction would local ... earthworks, surveyors, contractors, even the gravel would come from Lovedale quarry.
"The money would stay within the community
"Cessnock Council have been on board with us, so we know we'd have their support too."
The Branxton-Greta Business Chamber and the RSL sub-branches of each town have joined forces to advocate for the $2.5 million project.
The 4.5-kilometre cycleway would connect the towns via the New England Highway - from one war memorial rotunda to the other - with a Lone Pine tree planted for each of the 287 Branxton and Greta residents who served in World War I, and points of reflection dedicated to each military conflict and peacekeeping mission in which Australia has served.
"You'd have a reflection place for World War 1, another for World War II, one for Korea, another for Vietnam, a combined one for our peacekeeping missions," Mr Wild said.
"There would also be a spot known as Miners Corner, because so many of those who fought worked in the coal mines.
"So it's in two stages, the cycleway itself, and then the memorial elements."
The cycleway would not just provide an important connection between Branxton and Greta, but allow people, particularly children, a safe means of travel.
"It hasn't been an easy rise for the project with applications for funding from the 2014 Resources for Regions program and the Hunter Infrastructure Investment Fund in 2015 knocked back.
Mr Wild said they won't give up the fight. But he knows this is his best chance yet.
"It's not just a link to the past, but a bridge to the future," he said.
