Casino High School Second World War Honour Roll

About

The memorial is a simply designed, timber honour roll. It has a Gothic shape at the top, and is supported by two small timber feet. The inscription and names of the ex-students and staff of Casino High School who served in the Second World War are painted on the board in gold.  In July 1947, Mr J.W. Green, President of the Casino sub-Branch of the Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen and Women, called for details of those from the school who had lost their lives in the war (Northern Star, 11 July 1947). Four months later, on 22 November, the Star published the names of the ex-students that had been collected.  The roll was presented to the school by Mr Green in 1949, to be placed in the former memorial library. This library was the second memorial established at the school in the late 1940s. It was opened on the afternoon of 26 April 1949, by Mr J.T. Reid M.L.A. The event was covered in detail by the Northern Star the following day, including a photograph showing offiicals standing in front of bookshelves, presumably installed to form the library. The money for the initiative was mostly raised by the school's women's auxiliary. While the memorial library has since been replaced with a modern facility, the school maintains its legacy. Each year at the special Anzac Day assembly, a book is donated to the current library in memory of deceased local servicemen and women. Melinda Buckley, Head Teacher for Human Society and Its Environment, explained the assembly is regarded: As one of our most important assemblies of the year. We invite families and friends of local servicemen and women, who have passed away during the year to attend. These fallen servicemen and women are commemorated by us sharing their stories and photos to showcase their service to the community. In their memory, the local Returned Servicemen's League donate a book to the library for each of them. We have musical and drama pieces, around a relevant theme, performed by the students, as well as visual art displays. After the assembly, our special guests join with our staff for morning tea. All guests leave with a gift pack of Anzac cookies that have been baked by our hospitality class. The roll has since been moved from the library to the front foyer of the school. Access to the roll is restricted as it is inside school grounds.