A wonderful Australian military history quilt called At The Going Down of the Sun made by members of the RSL women’s auxiliary has just returned from Europe where it was a big hit with the French.
The quilt project was the brainchild of local identity Pauline James, who is the president of the RSL Central Council of Women’s Auxiliary NSW and a member of the Ingleburn sub-branch.
Most of the auxiliaries contributed a block each to a quilt that tells the story of the Australia’s war involvement over the past 100 years.
Three quilts were put together and the first, The Gallipoli Journey Quilt, was taken to Turkey in 2015 by the Fairfield sub-branch women’s auxiliary June Young.
Mrs Young also displayed it on the ship she travelled on as she retraced the footsteps of our original Anzacs 100 years earlier.
Gary Lucas, a military historian and a former Liverpool mayor, was given the task of taking At The Going Down of the Sun Quilt along to a Back Roads Tour of the Western Front in July this year.
“Mrs Pauline James was instrumental in allowing my wife and I the honour and privilege to take the quilt to the Western Front for displaying and to represent the Ingleburn RSL sub-branch with it,’’ Mr Lucas told the South West Voice.
“The quilt was displayed at the Menin Gate, Tyne Cot , Villers-Bretonneaux and Fromelles Memorials.
“The picture at Pozieres (above) was taken with the quilt on the ground at the former windmill site with the background of the white crosses for each of the Australian soldiers that were killed in action or missing in action at that bloody battle.
“On each and every occasion the quilt was displayed, the general public came over and sought information on the quilt and we were more than pleased to have the quilt photographed.
“The interest shown made the whole displaying a joy of remembrance to be involved with,’’ Mr Lucas said.
Mrs James tells us the third major quilt, At the Going Down of the Sun, will eventually be permanently displayed at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
♦ The Scenic Hills Association sent out a media release criticising Campbelltown’s representatives on the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) over the vote on the proposal for a cemetery in Varroville.
The panel is another stage where approval is required for major projects before a final green light is given.
We asked the two representatives, one of whom is no longer on the council, if they wanted to comment on the association’s claims in the media release and a polite “no’’ came back from both.
♦ Dr Mike Freelander, our federal member for Macarthur, was asked by a reporter yesterday during a doorstop interview at parliament house: If gay marriage doesn’t happen over this term of Parliament or this decade will you regret voting to block the plebiscite yesterday?
Dr Freelander replied: “Look, it’s a decision that I’ve thought very long about and after discussion with many of my gay friends and relatives I decided that the plebiscite was not the right way to go.
“I think, again, it’s very sad that we don’t have marriage equality this year.
“But I think the plebiscite would have been the wrong thing to do.
“And certainly judging by the terrible emails that I’ve been getting about it I really did not believe that the debate was going to be one of peace and tranquillity, it was going to be one of abuse and nastiness.
“I think the plebiscite would have been a bad way to go.’’
♦ A few local coppers checked out the goodies at the official opening of the Alkalizer Café yesterday at the civic centre in Queen Street, Campbelltown.
We spoke to two lovely female officers who were heading back to the station a few doors down the street, and they confirmed they were impressed with the beverages and the food on offer.
“It’s really good so we will be back, plus it is in a nice location, set back from Queen Street,’’ one of them said.
♦ Bumped into Dave Everett at the opening of the above café and the publisher of In Macarthur Magazine was looking extremely relaxed as always.
Just got up, had a surf then headed up here, Dave told me as we shook hands for the first time in a while.
Over the past 15 years or so Dave’s magazine has captured the dining scene of Macarthur in a unique way that has positively influenced our attitudes and he deserves the success he has achieved so far.
♦ Another old acquaintance I met up with last week was former Campbelltown Council man Nicholas Smolonogov, who was manager of executive services when he decided to retire after almost 30 years.
After having lunch with him and former mayor Paul Hawker I was convinced more than ever that Nick was one of the most astute people I have ever met. Maybe it’s his Russian background, who knows.
Either way I guess council’s loss is the gain of a local firm going places, Pioneer International.
The Minto based company, which makes world class air conditioners, snapped up the services of Smolonogov the minute he walked out the council building for the last time.
Maybe even before he walked out.
