TWO years in the making, Inverell was a sea of red poppies for Inverell Remembers, a series of events to honour local World War I volunteers, known as the Kurrajongs. More than 100 men from the district signed up to fight, a huge number for a country area. They left to great fanfare on January 12, 1916, with thousands gathered to farewell the soldiers, many who would not return.
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This is one of the proudest days in Inverell’s history.
- Mayor GB Ring, 1916
The Inverell Mayor GB Ring made a farewell speech and promised these men would not be forgotten in Inverell.
This promise was kept from January 7 as the town re-enacted significant events from 1916 including a recruiting rally, the Kurrajong march and the presentation of the Governor's Shield. Exhibitions and displays, tours and a cricket match all helped honour the men and women who served Australia.
Kurrajong Re-enactment Committee is formed
In December, 2013, planning for the event began when a public meeting was held to create a re-enactment committee. The committee worked hard for the next two years organising events, making poppies and researching the Kurrajongs.
The community comes together
The town showed great support towards the event, helping out in anyway they could. Various businesses put their hand up to help create a town-wide museum with soldier profiles and Kurrajong displays to go up in their windows. Thousands of poppies were handmade by locals, relatives of the Kurrajongs from further afield and school children keen to join in on the fun.
Our ambition was to paint Inverell red with poppies.
- Kim Blomfield, Re-enactment Committee President
Poppies light up Otho Street roundabout
An installation of giant poppies on the Otho and Henderson street roundabouts created a powerful tribute to the Kurrajongs and helped get the town in the mood for the event.
It begins
The two weeks of commemorative events began on January 5 with the opening of exhibitions at the library, art gallery, Australian Hotel and Tourism Inverell. Author of The Kurrajongs, Ian Small, hosted a number of town tours. Archaeologist Richard Osgood who co-discovered the remains of Inverell’s Private Alan Mather in 2008 held talks.
A cricket tribute
A three day cricket test match was held in honour of the Kurrajongs, with Mather’s 11 going up against Gilchrist’s 11. Gilchrist's 11 took the match.
Mather was a Kurrajong, and so was Gilchrist, he was in charge of them.
- Eric Higgins, organiser of the test match.
History repeats itself in rally cry
A re-enactment of a recruitment rally for the first World War was held at Varley Oval on Saturday, January 9. Inverell Mayor Paul Harmon, Member for Wagga Wagga and Parliamentary Secretary for Veterans and Centenary of Anzac Daryl Maguire and Senator John Williams took part in the re-enactment.
Inverell re-enacts the Kurrajong march 100 years on
History came alive on Sunday, January 10, when more than a thousand Inverell residents and visitors marched to remember the Kurrajongs. Around 300 descendants of the Kurrajongs travelled from all over the country for the event, which featured re-enactments of the 1916 speeches. A commemorative service and re-enactment of the presentation of the Governor's Shield was held the following Tuesday.