Correction – ‘Soldiers Avenue explored’

The Moorabool News would like to issue a correction to our article ‘Soldiers Avenue explored’ (Pg 5, 17 January edition).

While the information supplied by Blackwood & District Historical Society historian Margot Hitchcock was correct, the photo, believed to be the ‘Soldiers Avenue’ in Barrys Reef, is in fact a photo of the Blackwood Mineral Springs Avenue of Honour.

Ms Hitchcock has compiled and supplied the following information on ‘The History of the Blackwood Avenue of Honour and the Honour Boards’.

In 1919, the Avenue of Honour from the main road to the Mineral Springs area was graded and formed and 60 pine trees were planted, which were provided by Bill and Ken Matheson and Tom Vigor. The lower parking area was then levelled through a working bee. The Avenue of Honour was erected to honour all the men from the Blackwood area who enlisted in the 1914-1919 1st World War. Some were lucky enough to return to resume their lives in Blackwood. Others made the supreme sacrifice by losing their lives in some far distant country from their beloved Blackwood.

The Avenue of Honour had a significant entrance marked with two solid column constructions with a timber sign above attached to the top of the columns with the words “Avenue of Honour”. Inside this entrance on either side were two monuments with a small cannon mounted on each monument. Leading down to the mineral springs were the Pine trees planted to honour the men who died for their country, each tree had a name tag to honour one of those men who died.

Have you ever looked at the two boards hanging in the Blackwood Hall and wondered about the men behind the names? The second board hanging in the Blackwood Hall is the Barrys Reef board.

The 48 names of these men who enlisted for active service on the 1914 – 1919 “Roll of Honour” board, mounted in the Blackwood Hall which states “Past Scholars of the Mount Blackwood State School No. 1074, who enlisted for Active Service Abroad – in a small list in the middle is written “In Memoriam – Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” this is for the eleven men who died during active service whose names are in the first list.

Men whose names appeared on the Blackwood Honour Board at the Mineral Springs were:
Armstrong A.M.*, Armstrong T.M., Armstrong W.E., Byrne J., Broad W.J., Byres W., Carruthers G.R.*, Carruthers H., Cherry H., Cocciardi A., Davey R., Davey L., Downing A., Downing G.T., Downing R., Hall R.W.M., Lawrence W.*, Morrish H.C., Marshall A.S., Murphy T.*, McCracken J.N.*, Nelson S., Nelson H., Perry G., Gribble.V.V., Derrick.E.H., Pattinson A.O., Pattinson J.H., Pattinson W.B., Pearce R.L., Pearce L., Pincombe J.R., Rae F., Speary N.J.W., Skinner W.F.*, Saunders G.*, Shebler G, Smith M.H., Smith T., Smith E., Seymour E., Seymour J.*, Suffern G.E., Sweet H., Stephens I.*, Stephens C.R., Vigor A.J., Whatmough R.H.*, Whatmough W.J., Webster T., Whitford.L., Langford. B.D.*.
* = died on active Service.

Blackwood has been honoured to have two Honour Boards and two Avenue of Honours to commemorate the Soldiers who served in WWI. One Avenue of Honour is at Barrys Reef, and the other Avenue of Honour was on the road down to the Mineral Springs at Blackwood.

An excerpt from the Bacchus Marsh Express from Saturday 26 July 1919 from The National Library’s Trove website was also forwarded on, detailing the establishment of the Blackwood Mineral Springs Avenue of Honour.

To read the Express article, visit trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/262260812.