If you have served for the Australian Defence Force in any capacity and have an enduring connection with Wingham and the Upper Manning, the Wingham RSL Sub-branch want to hear from you.
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The honour roll that graces the foyer of the Wingham Memorial Town Hall currently only lists servicemen and women who have served in conflict zones overseas, however the Sub-branch are working on a project to change this.
Wingham and the Upper Manning Honour Roll Project officer Brian Willey, along with fellow project officer Terry Gould, wish the honour roll to be less divisive, and include all servicemen and women of Wingham and the Upper Manning, regardless of where and how they served.
“We’ve spoken to some other ex-service organisations, particularly the Nasho’s, who’ve never got much recognition, but if those gentlemen want their names on the honour roll - they’ve done their service, they should go on there,” Brian said.
“A lot of them have been ostracised, especially by the RSL, over the years in the sense that they were never recognised as real servicemen. Even in Vietnam, some of the old diggers were hard as nails, as far as if you didn’t go to a war zone like the second world war or the first world war, then you hadn’t really been to a war. And we think giving service in the military is much more broad than that, so that’s why we’ve started this project.”
Related content: Honour roll changes for modern times
Anyone whose service did not take them to a theatre of war or a conflict zone will be proudly listed under the heading ‘They Served’.
Criteria for inclusion on the honour roll is that you must be a current or former member of the Australian Defence Force who completed an initial enlistment period, or four years’ service, whichever was the lesser.
The person to be included on the honour roll must also have an enduring connection with Wingham and the Upper Manning, and agree to be included.
The sub-branch are inviting those who believe they, their friends or relatives fulfill the criteria to contact them because they want to honour their service by including their name on the honour roll.
For more information, or to put names forward for inclusion contact Brian Willey on 0428 258 823 or Terry Gould on 0490 176 926 or email winghamrslsubbranch9@gmail.com.
