Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), Wednesday 28 November 1923, page 1


TRIBUTE TO BRAVE MEN. Carlingford Honors is Heroes. Erection of Memorial Hall. "'We are here in this Australia to-day, able to develop along our own lines, and work out our destiny as free people, because of the sacrifice of these men whose names we are commemorating here this afternoon. The responsibility is upon us to see that those ideals of freedom and justice they had before them are not lost sight of."—The Minister for Defence.

In their patriotism the people of the Carlingford district are practical. As a lasting tribute to the memory of their soldiers, they are erecting a building that will prove a distinct boon to the communi-ity from which those soldiers went forth to the field of battle. When completed, the Mechanics' Institute and Memorial Hall will stand as a monument to courage and sacrifice, and also as a medium of educational and social advancement. This important movement received its birth at a meeting of the local Progress Association in January, 1921. Since then, an energetic committee has been hard at work. The foundation stone of the new structure, which is being erected on Mobbs' Hill, was laid by Major-General C. F. Cox on Saturday afternoon. The building is more advanced than is usually the case when this particular ceremony is performed. There was a large attend-ance. The chair was occupied by the president of the committee, Mr. A. J. Catt. Proceedings opened with the singing of the National Anthem. "I feel sure" exclaimed the president, in the course of his introductory remarks, "you will agree with me when I say that such a building as this will be of great benefit to this district. I believe that in such an institution as this will be found the greatest possible advantage to the district. The surest way to the cul-tivation of better citizens is by education" In thanking the committee for its good work, the president paid a special tribute to the ladies, to whose assistance the success of the movement was largely due. He also extended his thanks to Mr. Ramsay, who, in the role of honorary architect, had rendered valuable service. In the course of a lengthy report, the secretary (Alderman E. Mobbs) stated that over £600 had been raised. The contract price for the building was £1029. Other expenses would bring the total cost to the vicinity of £1220. The block of land had already been paid for. Alderman H. Greenwood (Mayor of Dundas) said he was proud to have had the honor of presiding at the first public meeting in connection with the raising of funds for the Memorial Hall. Apart from the obvious advantages to the dis-trict it would confer, the building would "stand to the honor and glory of those who went west in the Great War." He congratulated the committee and the people of the district. In building war homes for its soldiers Carlingford, for its

size, had a record second to none. (Ap-plause). Major General Cox said he was proud to have the honor of performing such a function in his native district. Years ago, the site upon which the Hall was be-ing erected had been a beautiful orchard. The progress of Carlingford during the last thirty or forty years had been re-markable. The people of Carlingford were a loyal and law abiding people. He attributed this to the fact that they had been reared in a clean and healthy district. Proceeding, he expressed the hope that the name of every soldier who left the district at the call of duty would be placed in the Hall, as an inspiration to the people of the future. It was right that the people should know who had gone from their district, to fight for King and country. The memory of those men should be kept ever green. The President: We'll see to that. "I have been to a good many of these functions" said Major General Cox, "and I am proud to say that in most cases they have placed the names of their sol-diers upon the monument. I am glad to have your assurance that you, too, will do the thing properly" He then laid the stone, and wished the movement every success. (Applause). The president presented Major General Cox with a silver trowel, suitably in-scribed as a memento of the occasion. "It is well" said the Minister for De-fence (Mr. E. K. Bowden) "that we should commemorate the men who have made the supreme sacrifice in order that we might be able to live the life we can live now. It is well that we should re-member the men who went away from this district. General Cox has asked that the names of the men themselves be in-scribed in this Hall. I think it is a very reasonable request, and I am glad to know that you propose to do that. I want to ask you to remember the men in another way. In the course of my du-ties I come in contact with many of the returned soldiers. The majority have gone back into civil life, and are getting along all right. But there are some who are not yet normal—who are still bear-ing the pain and disadvantages resulting from their service on the other side of the world during the Great War. There are some who are still shell-shocked, still nervy—men who have not yet got back to the normal condition they were in be-fore they went away. For these men, I want to ask that you will remember what they have done, and that you will show

as much patience with them as they showed perseverance when they were facing the enemy. They want your sym-pathy and your assistance. I am sure they will have it in every way. I want you to remember the widows, the orphans, and the mothers of those who have laid down their lives. The news of these deaths soon grows stale. In fact, some- times you have to say 'Did that man come back, or was he killed?' But their own people don't have to say that. Al-though five years have gone by, the war is real to them. The price they had to pay is as much to-day as it was then. I want you to remember them. "We have a right to do all we can to help the wives, widows and children of those who have laid down their lives, as well as those who have come back. We are here in this Australia to-day, able to develop along our own lines, and work out our destiny as free people, because of the sacrifice of these men whose names we are commemorating here this after-noon. The responsibility is upon us to see that those ideals of freedom and justice they and before them are not lost sight of. It is for us to do the work they left us to do—to carry on these ideals they held so dear, and make Australia what it ought to be, and what it will be if we carry out those duties, the grandest place on God's earth. I hope the memory of these men will inspire us to do better things" (Applause). Mr. J. T. Lang, M.L.A., agreed that there could be no better memorial than the hall they were erecting. In that Hall, always prominently before the people of the district, would be the names of those who did all they could to serve their country. After saying how he had been im-pressed by Mr. Bowden's feeling refer-ences to those who were still suffering as a result of the war, and expressing his belief that Mr. Bowden would do all he could to alleviate those sufferings, Mr. Lang referred to a statement by the Federal Minister for Works and Rail-ways, Mr. Stewart. "Speaking of the soldiers in connection with war service homes'' said Mr. Lang, "Mr. Stewart pointed out that a number of our re- turned soldiers are endeavoring to pay off their homes. Not unmindful that it owed something to these soldiers, the Govern-ment built them war service homes. But a lot of soldiers are still struggling to pay off those homes— are still in arrears. And many will not succeed in paying them off. The soldiers who are finding the greatest difficulty in making homes for their wives and children are the sol-diers in New South Wales. That is al-most entirely, due, according to Mr. Stewart, to the unemployment that ex-ists in New South Wales. That is some-thing we should remove. Both the Com-monwealth and the State, if necessary, should join hands to remove that diffi-culty. The masters of industry might also do their share. If any remarks I have made will assist Mr. Bowden and encourage General Cox to press on with the good work, I shall be amply repaid." (Applause) Major C. Marr, H.H.R., an old resi- dent of the district, spoke reminiscently of the splendid way in which the people of Carlingford had treated their soldiers, before they went away, and after they returned. Every boy who went from Car-lingford had reason to be proud of the district he left behind. (Applause). " We should ever be reminded of the deeds of the Anzacs" he continued, "by the three letters—A.I.F. Those letters mean something more than Australian Imperial Forces—they mean Anzacs Im-mortal Forever. The deeds the Anzacs performed should last forever. We should inculcate them into the minds of our children. If we teach our children the ideals for which these men fought, we will make this country a better place than it is at present. Those three letters stand for something else—Am I Forgot-ten? If we remember the men who died for us, we will remember their deeds, and the ideals for which they fought and died." (Applause). Mr. T. H. Morrow, M.L.A., said the people of Carlingford had done great things in war, and were doing great things in the days of peace. He under-stood that about eighty men from Car-lingford went to the war. In such a dis-trict that was a wonderful achievement. They should be proud of Major General Cox, who had gone forth from that dis-trict. " We have c0me through the physical fight with honor" continued Mr. Morrow, "and now we are in the centre of a far greater fight—the great economic fight. And you are the soldiers who are fighting in this great peace fight. Our duty has not yet ended. Those shell-shocked sol-diers are still suffering. It is our duty to assist them. Not only are you per-petuating their name, but you are keep-ing ever green the memory of those who will never come back. In this small com-munity you have shown a wonderful spirit. You are erecting a memorial which will serve to educate your child- ren, not only in the science of war, but educate them in what the war was fought for. We do not believe so much in phy-sical force; we believe in fighting for ideals and freedom—that mystic word 'freedom.' "We know" concluded Mr. Morrow, "the price of our soldiers' homes is too high. I naturally differ from Mr. Lang. "I believe that the prices are too high, not because unemployment is more acute in this State—they are too high because of the industrial laws which are unfor-tunately imposed on the builders. Keep on until your Hall is free of debt, and then you will have something to be very proud of. (Applause). Major General Cox then made an ap-peal for funds. In a very short time, nearly £70 was collected. Mr. Morrow intimated that he would organise a concert, to further swell the fund. Afternoon tea was served at the conclu-sion of the ceremony. 'The building contract is being carried out by Mr. H. Savage, of Eastwood.