A bus tour to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice on Sunday took in commemorative events in the shire’s villages of Euabalong, Mount Hope and Nymagee.
On their first stop the bus-goers joined approximately 100 residents and visitors in Euabalong for a service in Liberty Park.
Led by Heather Christie of the RSL Sub Branch Cobar, the service included an address by Alison Johnstone, great-granddaughter of Aboriginal soldier William ‘Cobar’ Williams, and a reading of the poem ‘The Coloured Digger’ by Jamie Thorpe Williams Jnr. An interpretive sign dedicated to William Williams was unveiled and was followed by lunch prepared by the Euabalong Progress Association.
The tour continued to Mount Hope, where an address written by Christopher Stone (a relative of one of the Mount Hope soldiers) was read.
A veteran himself, Mr Stone’s message reflected on the meaning of the poppies worn on Remembrance Day and on the lost life of his great-uncle, William Swasbrick, who died of injuries received on the Western Front. A commemorative sign near the community hall tells the stories of William and other soldiers.
In Nymagee, the community had prepared a display of World War I stories, photographs and memorabilia, and also conducted a brief service followed by afternoon tea.
The tour was funded by the Australian Government through the Armistice Day Centenary Program and supported by Cobar Shire and the villages’ Progress Associations.
