Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 1915, a group of young men left Gilgandra and marched to Sydney, recruiting men on the way to join the AIF to do their bit to support their country in World War I. Tomorrow, a group of equally dedicated people, who have over the last two weeks been marching from Gilgandra, will reach Sydney. They will have marched up over 600 kilometres. Many of them are direct descendants of the original 'Coo-ees', as the group of people were then called, and there are other citizens of Gilgandra marching.

This is a mighty effort. It is a great testament to the original Coo-ees. It is a living memorial 100 years on. I commend these people for marching 650 kilometres in this day and age. They traversed the Blue Mountains through rain in the last week. Many of them are not young. I believe Mr Brian Bywater is in his early 80s and he has marched this distance. I commend them all for it.

Gilgandra is known as the town of the Coo-ees and this march will cement that legacy in remembrance of the last 100 years and will also remind people for the next 100 years.