Eudlo District 1939–1945 Honour Board

About

A large polished timber Honour Board commemorating 39 individuals from the Eudlo District who served during the Second World War. It was unveiled on 16 October 1946. The names are duplicated in some cases, signifying family service. There are also three female service personnel listed at the end. The names are alphabetically listed and located in two panels of 20 and 19 names respectively left to right. There is a stylised Australian insignia at the top of the board, with military services recognised. Additional Information The 1939-1945 honour board in Eudlo Hall was made and donated by 79 year old Mr. Hector Thomas Blanch, “Willow Brae,” of the Highlands district of Eudlo. It was presented on 16 October, 1946 at the final welcome home rally of the Eudlo Welfare Committee. Thirty four service personnel, including three women, were guests of honour. Four war dead were also remembered: Barry Adams, Doug Reid, Eric Fletcher, and Percy Tolson: 'Let us never forget.’ At this time there were 38 names on the honour board. The board was unveiled by Mr. GFR Nicklin M.L.A. and a wreath was placed on the board by Mr. Blanch and after a minute’s silence, Mrs. Frawley sang , “Home Sweet Home.” Mr HT Blanch was one of the first to establish a Guernsey herd on the North Coast; the first to use a pack-horse, then a slide, then sulky and waggon-ette, and later a motor vehicle, on the Highlands Road to Eudlo. Hector was born on the Northern Rivers of New South Wales (Mullumbimby) in 1866. He married Sarah Cameron in 1895 but sadly lost both Sarah and a baby in childbirth the next year. To overcome his grief, set out on a push bike and rode across the Nullarbor Plain, taking jobs as he went. Hector was a wheelwright by trade, and came to the Eudlo district in 1910, with his wife Elizabeth Sinclair and three children. He was a civic-minded man, head of the Queensland Farmers Union, Eudlo Branch; and the Eudlo Progress Association. His daughter is represented on the board: Sr. Myra Blanch, of the Bush Nurses and the first nurse to enter the Royal Flying Doctor Service, as she also served in a military hospital during the War.