THE footprint of war in the nation’s small towns has been laid bare for close to a century.
Columns, cenotaphs, obelisks and gates stand solemn and stark in nearly every postcode, a reminder set in stone proclaiming the sacrifice of service.
The names listed might only be particularly poignant to their modern-day descendants; but, wittingly or not, the soldiers listed on your town’s monument subsequently shaped a legend historians have recently deemed more “culturally powerful” than Easter or Christmas to Australians.
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Recently, the Manilla RSL Sub-branch set about installing a small Australian flag on the headstones of ex-service people in the town’s cemetery.
It’s part of the nation-wide initiative, Honour Our Fallen, which has aimed to “ensure a flag is erected each Anzac Day from 2018, on every grave or memorial plaque in Australia to honour those who have served their country”.
Manilla RSL secretary Ian Bignall fashioned holders for the headstones and added the flags on the weekend.
He paused after he installed the 200-plus flags at the cemetery and said it illustrated the footprint of war, particularly in small towns.
He said 290 from Manilla went off to WWI. According to the town clock, in the main street, the town’s population in 1901 was only 780.
Among the graves commemorated was Cliff Hayden, who Mr Bignall said was the first Manilla-man to leave for WWI.
The young man served at Gallipoli and on the Western Front and returned home, wounded in 1917.
While Hayden escaped WWI with his life, he was subsequently felled by pneumonia on July 19, 1918 and buried in Manilla with a military funeral and 30-gun salute.
Mr Bignall said the sub-branch would hold a service, slightly more subdued than the original funeral, with the laying of wreath and sounding of the last post at Hayden’s grave to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his passing.
“He was a our first veteran buried in Manilla,” he said.
“It has been 100 years and it’s about going on and making sure it’s not forgotten.
“By remembering him, we’re remembering all that are buried there.”
Mr Bignall said the sub-branch would look to work with neighbouring towns, including Tamworth, Bendemeer, Somerton and Attunga, to carry out similar Honour Our Fallen projects.
Manilla will host an Anzac Day dawn service at the Memorial Hall, followed a march at 10.45am.
There will be a service at the Manilla Cemetery Cenotaph from noon with a luncheon planned at the service club from 1pm.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
