THE HONOUR BOARDS OF THE ADELAIDE HILLS COUNCIL April, 2016 1 2 The Honour Boards Of The Adelaide Hills Council Report Produced by the Adelaide Hills Council April, 2016 We acknowledge the generous support and the grant provided by the ANZAC Day Commemoration Council Department of Treasury and Finance Government of South Australia 3 4 CONTENTS 7. Preface 9. Section One Providing A Home For The Honour Boards 12. Section Two Honour Boards and Listed Names 13. Aldgate 36. Mylor 15. Balhannah 39. Mylor Church 17. Birdwood 40. Norton Summit 18. Bridgewater 41. Oakbank 19. Carey Gully 42. Scott Creek 20. Charleston 45. Springhead 22. Cherryville 46. Stirling 24. Cudlee Creek 47. Summertown 25. Forreston 49. Upper Sturt Soldiers 27. Gumeracha Memorial Hall 28. Kersbrook 51. Upper Sturt Uniting 29. Lenswood Church 30. Lobethal 53. Uraidla 33. Longwood & Bradbury 55. Verdun 34. Montacute 56. Woodside 35. Mount Torrens 59. Appendix - Index of Names 5 6 The Honour Boards of the Adelaide Hills Preface Following the publication of “The Monuments of the Adelaide Hills” in April 2015 “The Honour Boards of the Adelaide Hills” is a separate publication that provides a comprehensive coverage of the Honour Boards that list those residents of the Adelaide Hills who served, and in so many tragic cases, paid the supreme sacrifice in the wars involving our nation. These are memorials that are important to our heritage and our local and national identity. This publication is the initiative of the Adelaide Hills Council. The Honour Board is a record of the names of those “that liveth for evermore” and this project is timely, given the 100 year anniversary of the First World War. In this publication the information on the Honour Board is organised by Town Name and location of the building that houses the Board within that town. The majority of the Honour Boards have been located in Churches, RSL and Institute/Community Halls and Schools. An Index is included which is organised alphabetically by surname and identifies the location of the Board that carries that name. In many cases names can be found on more than one Board. The publication includes a discussion regarding the significance of these buildings to the location and preservation of the Boards. This publication contains a detailed photographic record of each Board and a separate list covers the names on each Board which have been reproduced as they appear on the Board. The reader will note that there appears to be a remarkably individual approach to the subject of an Honour Board, with many different forms across the towns of the Council area, and this makes the content of this project all the more interesting. The publication identifies towns/locations in the Adelaide Hills Council area that contain Honour Boards, and there are the details of the names of those who gave their lives and those who served. The Memorials largely concern the two major conflicts of the twentieth century and most of them date from the years directly following the First World War. It is noted that the proximity of towns and their communities has resulted in some repetition of names between Honour Boards - the index of all names is an Appendix to this document. The passage of time and the wear and tear on some Honour Board has made it difficult to interpret some names. Wherever this has occurred an honest attempt has been made to clarify the name. Whilst some Boards are damaged it is pleasing to note that the majority are in good condition and in many cases in recent times a significant number have been restored by local communities and individuals and given a pride of place within the Hall or School. A rewarding result of this project is to locate a number of Boards which had, because of the passage of time, been forgotten or mislaid and it is hoped that readers of this account may continue the endeavours that have now started to ensure that vigilance continues to preserve this important part of our national heritage. Suggestions have been made as to a method for undertaking this task. Significant endeavour has been made to include as much detail in this edition as time and resources allowed. However, it is realised that the reader will, in many cases, be able to add detail or correct information within this first attempt by volunteering knowledge from their own and their family recollections. Such a contribution to this project is considered a worthwhile and essential participation by our community and the reader is invited to submit any comments to the Adelaide Hills Council. This publication will also be made available on the Council website: www.ahc.sa.gov.au 7 8 Section One Providing a Home for the Honour Boards The work on this project has determined that Honour Boards are located in many buildings in towns throughout the Adelaide Hills. The function of these buildings varies significantly ranging from Institute/Municipal Halls, Returned Service League premises, Church Halls, Schools and Sporting Clubs. Upper Sturt Soldiers Memorial Hall Institute and Municipal Halls The majority of the Adelaide Hills Honour Boards are housed in buildings that fit this category. In many cases it is understood that the Institute Hall and Municipal premises was the first location of the Honour Board upon its dedication. It is noted that from the early days of the 19th Century Literary Institutes Athenaeums and Schools of Art played an important role in the life of early Australian communities. Among their roles was the provision of libraries and reading rooms, but as community institutions they also provided lectures and adult education. “By 1900 there were 1000 Mechanics’ Institutes in Australia with memberships of between 100 and 200 people. Most of these Institutes did not have large libraries, usually having less than 1,000 books. Their role in a country town was more a general focus for the community’s cultural activities, not just that of a library. As well as membership subscriptions, the Institutes were supported by colonial governments and sometimes by local government, usually by land grants and cash assistance. The institution generally had a purpose built building in the town.” 1 1. Source of this information is Wikipedia and from “The Guardian-The Workers Weekly Issue 1526 9 November 2011”. Note that the anachronistic term of “Mechanic”, belongs to another time – the early 1800s. In the United Kingdom the word “mechanic” was a more general term meaning tradesman, craftsman, artisan, working man, working class. An institute is a place of learning, so broadly speaking a mechanics’ institute is a place of learning for working class people. 9 Many of these were solidly built by a community optimistic of the Nation’s future but in most cases are now no longer home to those institutions but are still a strong feature in the local communities and are used for other purposes. Local Government and the governance of the Municipal and District Council in South Australia became widespread in the 1850’s with the passing of a series of Acts of Colonial Government.2 The new Councils worked within defined boundaries that covered a large part of settled South Australia and notably established council areas across the Mount Lofty Ranges. The new Acts established the Council, its revenue and its powers of operation. Importantly for this project it committed its community to a base for its meetings and it operations which necessarily involved an office, halls and depots. Thus these became an extension of the assets of the growing hill’s communities and therefore another place for the safe keeping of its cherished possessions and its memorabilia. In many instances the Councils became responsible for the established Institute halls. Stirling RSL Hall The Returned Services League (RSL) The Returned Services League has, since 1916, played a significant part in the cultural and political history of Australia. Built on the sacrifice of Australia’s men and women in the many theatres of war that have impacted on the short history of our nation its position is embedded in the Australian psyche. The return of the soldier to Australia necessitated the need to commemorate their contribution and to nurture the camaraderie that grew out of the services. Branches of the RSL were established in all Australian States and sub-branches became involved in large and small communities across Australia. The monument to the fallen and the building that housed the RSL became an integral part of the town and its community. 2. Most notably the An Act to Appoint District Councils and to Define the Powers thereof Act No 16 1852, District Councils Act, No 10, 1858 and the Municipal Corporations Act No 16, 1861 10 The Mission Statement of the RSL is: “To ensure that programs are in place for the well-being, care, compensation and commemoration of serving and ex-service Defence Force members and their dependents; and promote Government and community awareness of the need for a secure, stable and progressive Australia.” The core role and objectives of the RSL has been and continues to be to serve the interests of its members, veterans, the ex-service community and members of the Australian Defence Force. This role has considerable involvement in the community through welfare and other support initiatives including, mental health support and aged care accommodation. Indeed one of the key objectives of the RSL is to provide a “respected and meaningful voice within the community and Australian society” and this has meant in some cases a closer involvement in community activities, particularly in the smaller regional towns of Australia. There are currently a number of RSL branches operating within the Adelaide Hills Council area and the relevant halls are noted in this publication as containing Honour Boards and the memorabilia from the conflicts thatnvolved servicemen from the local communities.