On Friday 8 June 1917, the pupils of Lamplough State School marked Arbor Day by creating a lasting memorial to former pupils and teachers serving in the First World War. As the Avoca Mail reported:
A row of alternate sugar-gums and Cootamundra wattles was planted along the front of the school-ground in honor of ex-scholars who have volunteered to serve king and country. Two grevilleas or silky oaks were also planted in honor of two ex-teachers, Messrs Wrigley and Looney, who are taking their part in the great war. In every case Australian trees were planted, as these seem the most fitting memorial for Australian soldiers.
“Avoca Mail”, 12 June 1917, p. 2.
More than a century later, the sugar gums planted by the schoolchildren still stand along the former school frontage. They are among the few surviving living memorials to the district’s First World War servicemen and provide a direct link with the Arbor Day ceremony held in 1917.
The soldiers associated with Lamplough at the time of their enlistment included:
- Walter Fish (1878-1915), formerly of Lamplough, was killed in action in the Dardanelles
- Charles Alexander Gibson (1892-1934)
- Francis James Lindsay MM (1894-1958)
The two grevilleas honoured former teachers:
- Frederick Rankin Wrigley (1884–1918), teacher at Lamplough from 1910 to 1912, who later died while on active service.
- Oliver John Looney (1890–1954), teacher from 1912 to 1916.
Military records identify four men born at Lamplough who served in the First Australian Imperial Force:
- Ernest James Young (1878–1942), who enlisted from Melbourne while living at Dandenong.
- John Frederick Thompson (1882–1947), who enlisted at Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
- Charles Herman Burgdorf (1892–1970), who enlisted at Hawthorn.
- Charles Alexander Gibson (1892–1934), who was still associated with Lamplough when he enlisted.
Today the surviving sugar gums remain a reminder of the schoolchildren’s efforts to honour their former classmates and teachers. Planted during the third year of the war, they continue to commemorate the service and sacrifice of those connected with the small Lamplough community.
Wattles are short-lived, and those planted with the avenue of sugar gums are no longer there. It would seem the grevilleas also did not survive.
The teacher at the time was Maurice Barton Isaac (1879-1949) who taught at Lamplough from 1916 to 1918.
Related posts
- Francis James Lindsay (1894–1958), a hero of the Great War
- About Walter Fish: Young, A. (2015, April 8). G is for Gallipoli. Anne’s Family History. https://anneyoungau.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/g-is-for-gallipoli/
- Lamplough school in the news
- Mary Anne Burgdorf at Lamplough State School (1891–1902) : the mother of Charles Burgdorf had been a teacher at Lamplough
