Pleasant Street honour roll returns home

SACRIFICES were remembered on Friday 5 June when the Pleasant Street Primary School community gathered to mark the return of its first world war roll of honour.

Pupils read out stories of previous alumni who served their country to a crowd which included ancestors of those listed on the board.

The roll of honour was returned from its previous home at Sovereign Hill seven weeks ago.

“On the 24th of April this year, Sovereign Hill were kind enough to send seven men to bring it back through the building, and then on Anzac Day, I met with some of our families, including one of our builders, and we reinstalled it,” acting principal Jen Bahr said.

“Our students stop, understand the respect, and understand the roll’s importance by looking at it.”

Bahr said pupils have been talking about the roll of honour and will be continuing to research the listed names.

“The board itself is part of the school history,” she said.

“We’ve some of the alumni here that remember it being hung in the school and looking at the names.”

Bahr said it was such a grand example of an honour board, people could not help but take notice of it.

“Having this honour board here has meant our students have started conversations about all of the people on it,” she said.

“They’ve started learning about it.”

The school thanked Sovereign Hill Museums Association collections manager Tina Lee for her help facilitating the transfer, parent Jonnie Willsher who assisted in the coordination of the board’s installation, the school council, and immediate past principal Janet Hillgrove who died earlier this year.

Arch of Victory/Avenue of Honour Committee president Garry Snowden was also thanked for providing information to the school about the board throughout the years.