The Man from Snowy River Tourism Association in conjunction with the Memorial Hall, RSL subbranch and Upper Murray Historical Society is working on a new addition to Corryong’s Avenue of Honour.
The Avenue of Honour was first planted in 1918 to commemorate the 122 servicemen from Corryong, Colac Colac, Nariel and Khancoban who left the district to serve in World War I.
The project involves a memorial which will include two carved trees, a seat and a granite rock with a plaque listing the 122 servicemen. Further details of how these elements will all come together will be shared in the coming months.
The original trees planted were Deodar Cedars. Many of these still remain, however a number have succumbed to time and are no longer part of the original avenue.
Unfortunately, the size and quality of the two dead Deodar Cedars planned to be used for the carvings were not suitable. The commissioned artist, John Brady from Gippsland, has used alternative timber to depict four faces on each tree to represent the servicemen. He has created the carvings using actual photographs of a selection of the Upper Murray servicemen. All of the carvings are based on a number of real people so the memorial represents all who served.
Stephen Learmonth, local amateur war historian, has completed extensive research to confirm the names of the original 122 servicemen who were honoured by the original avenue. This list was compiled through consultation with the community (see the list below).
Now is the time for any feedback from the community about this list. If you have any comments or feedback about the list then please contact Stephen Learmonth by email at stephen.learmonth@education.vic.gov.au before January 22nd, 2025.
This project has been made possible with a grant from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 19 December 2024.