Port Pirie Regional Council, Media Release, 15 December 2021

South Australian based group ‘The Headstone Project’ recently dedicated the graves of 18 veterans of WWI who lay in the Port Pirie cemetery in unmarked graves with a dedication ceremony held on 20 November 2021.

The ceremony was attended by Mayor Leon Stephens and the Hon. Geoff Brock MP, Member for Frome. Ken Madigan AM, former Mayor of Port Pirie Regional Council and Patron of the Port Pirie RSL delivered the keynote speech.

Many descendants of the veterans also attended, with the Cadets of the 414 Army Cadet Unit forming a Guard of Honour and performing the flag raising.

Veterans honoured at this event included:

• John Joseph BROMILOW
• Arthur Denham DICKINSON
• Henry Arthur FORD
• Harold Mayo GEBERT
• Halvor James HANSEN
• Thomas Charles HAYNES
• Bernard LAWSON
• Harold LOWE
• Michael Thomas MCINERNEY
• Cecil William RICHARDS
• Arnold Leopold TAMMS
• Maurice Michael James TANGLEY
• William James TOBIN
• Gordon Blair WALD
• Sylvanus Samuel WOOD
• Alfred YOULL

This important project was made possible with support and assistance from Port Pirie Regional Council staff, Port Pirie Cemetery staff as well as the Port Pirie RSL including providing information about the veterans.

The Headstone Project has now completed the graves of 23 WWI veterans in the Port Pirie Cemetery. With a special connection to the regional City, they actually performed their first dedication ceremony in Port Pirie for Archibald John Kenneth McVicar in 2017.

Background Information:

The Headstone Project came into being with the sole purpose of ensuring that all Australian First World War veterans have their last resting place suitably marked in such a way that recognises their service.

In 2010, John Trethewey, a Tasmanian historian researching World War 1 veterans, discovered that some were in unmarked graves. That led to the Families and Friends of the First AIF in Tasmania starting The Headstone Project. After eight years of effort, led by Andrea and Ron Gerrard — researching, finding families, planning, fundraising and erecting headstones — the group dedicated the last of 316 previously unmarked veterans’ graves in Hobart’s Cornelian Bay cemetery in December 2018.

The Headstone Project are a group of South Australians who were inspired by the efforts of people in Tasmania to locate the graves of soldiers and nurses who had served their country, returned to Australia and now lie in unmarked graves.

John Brownlie and Neil Rossiter were the duo that developed The Headstone Project South Australia from 2016 to 2018. They set about engaging sponsors, and their first headstone was unveiled in 2017. Now, with 30 members, the group is entering an exciting phase with a stream of research leading to regular dedications of graves.

The South Australian Government has provided support to the Project from its inception, providing initial seed funding to allow for the purchase of essential equipment and, more recently, Premier Steven Marshall has provided funding through a series of grants. The Project’s first grant ran for three years and they were then granted a three-year extension.

This vital funding has greatly assisted them to memorialise many more graves than may otherwise not have been possible.

The Headstone Project would like to publicly acknowledge the Premier’s enthusiasm for their work and the Government’s generosity, which has enabled them to turn ideas into meaningful action.