We have to be amazed and stand in awe of the men who served in freezing conditions in Korea, the mud and slush of the Western Front, Gallipoli and New Guinea, according to Father Tom Shanahan.
Father Shanahan was speaking at the dedication of the recently restored War Memorial in Bingara.
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Watched by Salvation Army Major Rosemary Darby, Member for New England, Tony Windsor and Member for Northern Tablelands, Richard Torbay draw back the curtains to reveal the newly restored plaques on the cenotaph. |
"We have to admire the men who gave of themselves, and went into those conditions, and they had to put up with things that we couldn’t possible imagine or believe, the diseases that they suffered, and the horrible conditions in which they served," Fr. Shanahan said.
He noted that for everyone who went to war, many of them driven by asense of adventure, left mothers and fathers, girlfriends, and in more recent times, wives and girlfriends. I want to think about people rather than the wars, " he said.
"I want us all to remember the people who are involved in so many different ways, the service personnel themselves who were there directly, the men and the women. Lets always spare a thought for those who were left behind, the old adage that we got used to in World War II ‘Those always serve who only stand and wait’.
"The same sense of service has been carried on ever since the first cause of conflict," he said.
Member for Northern Tablelands, Richard Torbay, RSL Sub Branch Secretary, Fred Robinson and Member for New England, Tony Windsor following the ceremony to unveil the restored War Memorial.
The memorial plaques, which have been restored, added to, and in some cases, corrected, were unveiled by Member for New England, Tony Windsor and Member for Northern Tablelands, Richard Torbay.
Members of the Barraba brass band played during the service.
Those taking part in the dedication to the memorial also attended the children’s orange picking ceremony, which followed.
