By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
WITH the passing of Australia’s World War I veterans, keeping their service records straight is more important than ever.
That’s the opinion of Portarlington and St Leonards RSL sub-branch president Brian Bergin, particularly for smaller communities.
“We wanted to remember our local First World War veterans and their families in several ways,” Mr Bergin said.
The branch received a federal government grant of almost $15,000 to keep local memories alive.
One of the group’s key activities was restoring a hand-written book dated 1917 and recording the service of 71 veterans who enlisted and attended Portarlington Public School.
The branch also developed a WWI honour board and produced a memory booklet on local veterans, presenting their direct descendants with an Australian flag and a certificate.
Some of the funds were used to clean and upgrade the WWI cenotaph, which will host a commemorative service tomorrow.
