Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove will be visiting Wallendbeen in September for the Kangaroo March commemorations.
A century after his predecessor inspected Australian troops on their way to the First World War, the Governor General will once again visit Wallendbeen to take the salute. It’s been confirmed this week that His Excellency Sir Peter Cosgrove will join a re-enactment of the 1915 Wagga Kangaroos march at Wallendbeen on September 13. The day is part of a month long event tracing the march route through southern NSW and bringing into sharp focus the human dimension of a war that is now fading from living memory.
In 1915, Governor General Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson met the volunteers from the Wagga Kangaroos Recruitment March at Wallendbeen. It was one of nine marches from rural NSW, responding to the call for recruits just months after the Gallipolli landings. The march gathered around 240 men along the way, travelling north east from Wagga through the South West Slopes and Tablelands. The men made their final camp at Campbelltown before parading along Macquarie Street for a reception at the gates of the Domain by the Premier. Intending to remain together, many joined the 55th battalion, and sailed for France in 1916. They included John Ryan of Tumut, who later won a Victoria Cross. During the first march the Governor General and Lady Helen Munro Ferguson stayed at Wallendbeen with Colonel the Hon. Kenneth Mackay, MLC, who was at the time responsible for raising an Australian Army Reserve. Sir Ronald inspected the marchers at Wallendbeen, where a fundraising dance was also held in support of the men.
A century later, the re-enactment march arrives at Wallendbeen on Sunday September 13 after spending the previous night in Cootamundra. At midday the marchers will be joined by locals and supporters for a parade into the village. They will pause at the Wallendbeen War Memorial for the Last Post and and the Light Horse, who have joined the re-enactment will form a vice regal escort honour guard of 16 riders. The parade then proceeds to the Wallendbeen Oval where the salute will be taken. An inspection of marchers and Light Horse Association members follows. Community members will also have an opportunity to meet the Governor General during his visit. It’s an apt role for Sir Peter Cosgrove: he was awarded a Military Cross in Vietnam and was Australia’s Chief of Army and Chief of Defence Forces. He also commanded the International Force for East Timor, which oversaw peace-keeping during the transition to independence. As Governor General, he has defined his role as a man of the people.
Wallendbeen committee chair David Jacobs said the Governor General’s visit acknowledges the significance of small country towns in our Australian history and their deep connections to the past. “This is also a celebration of community spirit through adversity, and we feel very honoured that His Excellency has agreed to visit us”, Mr Jacobs added. A day of celebrations is planned including a producer’s fair, a display of antique farm machinery, historical displays and children’s activities.
The Wallendbeen working committee is tracing family histories from the march, while Wallendbeen and Stockinbingal school children will form a combined choir on the day and are learning period songs. Kangaroo March executive committee vice president Rhondda Vanzella said of the Kangaroos “They were away for three more years; some never came home, some came home permanently scarred…..we want to pay due tribute”. Recognising the role of the women, children and families left behind to hold the country together in their menfolk’s absence, Rhondda added that “We don’t seek to glorify war; we seek to remember those sacrifices, and to learn from them, to help new generations learn of their history, what a great-great-granddad or grandma did”. For more information contact David Jacobs on 0269 432621 or via wallendbeenmarch@gmail.com, or see kangaroomarch.org.au.
