Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I attended the official opening of the memorial wall and garden at Woodsdale, in Tasmania's southern Midlands, in my electorate of Lyons. The Levendale and Woodsdale History Rooms received a $1,280 Centenary of Anzac grant to construct a memorial garden and a wall to honour the memory of young men from the district who fought with the Australian defence forces in World War I.

It was Elaine Midson's inspiration that saw the project become a reality. Her father, Ernie Dare, was a POW on the Thai-Burma railway during World War II and her mother, Doreen, a keen historian, identified the 35 young men from Levendale and Woodsdale who served in World War I. Lieutenant George Eppingstall, Sapper Patrick Kelly, Private Norman Roberts and Private Victor Wiggins made the ultimate sacrifice, along with Private Herbert Kingston, who was killed at the landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.

Elaine's brothers, Greg and Adrian Dare, did the heavy lifting for the memorial wall, which now formally recognises these men, by collecting the local stone used in its construction and setting it in place. It is a wonderful community project, and Elaine was supported by locals Pam Montgomery, Fenton Scott, Alec Dean, Julie Belette, Keith Mann and Ray Cooke. I thank them all.