By NARELLE COULTER
THE 53 former Dandenong Primary School students who served in World War I were remembered when the school’s recently restored honour board was rededicated on Saturday 18 April.
The school received a Federal Government grant to restore the historic honour board.
Lawrie West of Dandenong business West Award and Print and Seaford restoration expert Barry Rea removed the fragile board from the school’s foyer in February.
More than 30 man hours went into bringing the board back to its original glory.
After being cleaned and repaired, the board was coated in its original shellac coating and the guild letter repaired before it was waxed and polished.
Tragically, 12 names have tiny crosses next to them denoting casualties. Among them was young Oswald Green.
Sergeant Green enlisted on 16 February 1917 joining the 21st Battalion.
He fought on the Western Front before being wounded at Villers-Bretonneux in France. He died of his wounds on 4 July 1918. He was 22.
His brother Francis was more fortunate surviving the war and returning home to Dandenong in April 1919.
Also listed on the board are the names of the three Newsome brothers.
William, Frederick and Harry Newsome, all former students, grew up in the family home on Kidds Road.
Sergeant William Newsome was wounded in the abdomen at Gallipoli when a shell exploded near him during a battle on 7 August 1915.
He was cleared to the Australian General Hospital, Heliopolis, on 13 August then to the Ras el Tin convalescent home.
His wounds seem to have been so bad that he was sent to England in September 1916 to work in a supply depot rather than returned to the front.
In a happy conclusion to Sergeant Newsome’s story, he fell in love and married 20-year-old Florence Anger on 14 March 1917 at St Augustine Anglican Church, Fulham, London.
The couple returned to Australia aboard the family ship the Bremen arriving on 25 July 1919.
Fredrick and Harry also survived the war.
School captain Montana Owen told the tale of the Newsome brothers in her speech during the re-dedication ceremony.
“You may have seen the Anzac Day posters around our school.
“These show Australians landing on beaches of Gallipoli on that first day,“ said Montana.
“Australians from all kinds of backgrounds served during World War II.
“They wore the same uniform and shared the experience of war.
“Their story, the Anzac story, is one that unites all Australians, regardless of their background.
“There are many ways to honour people who have served in Australia’s armed forces.
“We can attend school services, like this one, wake up early for a dawn service or attend an Anzac Day march.
“We can also honour their service by wearing a poppy or a sprig of rosemary, as a symbol of remembrance.“
Following the rededication service a Gallipoli oak, grown from an acorn brought home by soldiers from the Gallipoli peninsula, was planted in the school grounds.
