Graham Chalker of the Harden RSL with the Lone Pine in Newson Park. in 2019.
On 11 November 1918, the guns of the Western Front fell silent after four years of continuous warfare. With their armies retreating and close to collapse, German leaders signed an Armistice, bringing to an end the First World War. From the summer of 1918, the five divisions of the Australian Corps had been at the forefront of the allied advance to victory. Beginning with their stunning success at the battle of Hamel in July, they helped to turn the tide of the war at Amiens in August, followed by the capture of Mont St Quentin and Pèronne, and the breaching of German defences at the Hindenburg Line in September. By early October the exhausted Australians were withdrawn from battle. They had achieved a fighting reputation out of proportion to their numbers, but victory had come at a heavy cost. They suffered almost 48,000 casualties during 1918, including more than 12,000 dead.
In the four years of the war more than 330,000 Australians had served overseas, and more than 60,000 of them had died. The social effects of these losses cast a long shadow over the postwar decades.
Harden’s War Memorial witnessed the installation of a ‘Lone Pine’ between the Cenotaph and the War Memorial Pool in Newson Park in 2019. Today’s Remembrance Day Service will be the 102nd anniversary of the guns falling silent at the end of WWl where those attending will be able to see the new pine 12 months on from when it was planted.
The pine tree came through from the Cootamundra RSL and is a direct descendant of the pine at Gallipoli. Graham said, “One of the soldiers sent some cones back to his mother and they have been growing them ever since. Coota had a few there and we scored one out of it.”
Graham looked after the pine for 18 months and watched it grow over 50 cms during that time. He said, “The original was on its own all the time which is why it was called the battle of Lone Pine.” Graham organises the Harden Remembrance Day Service and assists with fundraising as part of his role.
Graham served Australia himself during the Vietnam War. He was conscripted with his birthday falling on January 16 1948. He said, “I was a Nasho.” Graham’s service and the service of those who served our nation is a reminder for young people who enjoy the freedoms provided by those who went before us.
The service will form up at 10:50am at Newson Park on Monday.