By John Telfer
The very impressive ANZAC obelisk at Tannymorel has stood for 100 years and carries an honour roll for all the youth of the region who made the supreme sacrifice in World War 1.
It was specifically built to honour the World War 1 veterans, and the centenary today marks those men and women. However, it later became relevant to honour the districts heroes from World War 2, and the Korean War of 1952–1954.
So, on Sunday 6 February 2022, a special ceremony will take place to honour all those who died from the district.
The World War 1 section of the monument contains three particular names of medal winners in Lieutenant W. Ryan who won the Military Cross, Private T. Gollan, a Meritorious Service Medal recipient, and Sister Margaret Goggin who came home after suffering shrapnel wounds, and what was known then as shell shock.
It is interesting to look back at the period of 1922 when the Great War was only finished four years earlier, and the nation was just beginning to establish itself in a world that stood up and took notice of the contribution that our ANZACs made in their sacrifice.
Some historians wrote that Australia really became a nation when the world media wrote of the exploits of these brave men and women.
In 1922, the Warwick Daily News edition of 8 February had this to say about the memorial:
“An impressive ceremony took place at Tannymorel yesterday, when
His Excellency Sir Matthew Nathan, at the invitation of the committee
responsible, unveiled the memorial which has been erected to the honour
of the fallen soldiers who enlisted from the district. The monument which
is in the form of an obelisk stands on a base of 4 feet square, and is 15 feet
in height. It is made of brown Helidon stone with 4 marble panels, one on each
face, and costing 100 pounds”.
From that time on the monument has stood unblemished for 100 years and each name on the obelisk has a particular story, however, two stories that need a mention is that of Sister Margaret Goggin and Sapper Tom Gollin.
With trench warfare being a huge part of the battles in France, the military authorities at the time felt that miners and mining engineers were necessary to counter the German lines and this required tunnelling experts.
It was in this climate that Tom enlisted in the AIF in 1916 and was posted to the Pioneer Battalion of No 2 Australian Tunnelling Company in France, and became involved in the battle of Messines Ridge in July 1917, where he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for bravery when he volunteered to enter a gas affected tunnel to rescue a Corporal Starr, who was overcome with gas.
With a mate, John Underwood, Tom brought him out safely but he himself suffered from the German gasses that they had deliberately sent into the tunnels to counter the work of the Australian tunnellers.
Tom was a witness to the destruction of Hill 60 as depicted in an Australian film. Tom was never the same man after the gassing and was sent home later.
Just as Tom Gollin faced dangerous situations such as tunnel collapses, gas and artillery shelling, Sister Margaret Goggin faced similar dangers, Margaret was born in 1883, one of 11 children and always wanted to be a nurse.
After a few years of nursing in country Queensland where she became Matron of Longreach Hospital, and keen to expand her experience in nursing, she went to Sydney.
In 1910 she went west to take up a position at Cue-Day Dawn hospital in West Australia.
In 1915 when the war broke out in Europe, Margaret enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service and embarked to London to serve in the Australian General Hospital there.
She later served in Estaples in France, and Heliopolis in Egypt, before she faced her greatest danger at a Casualty Clearance Station on the front line in 1918.
Here, she suffered shrapnel wounds from the incessant German shelling and was also diagnosed with shell shock.
Once recovered, Margaret found her greatest satisfaction was working in the hospitals with the wounded and dying soldiers.
She was greatly admired for her work among the diggers and when the Red Cross Journal published a letter from a wounded soldier that paid tribute to Margaret, it said:
“She is a regular brick. She was one of my nurses for the first week
and for the second week she was night sister. In the morning after
taking temperatures, etc, she used to have a yarn about Warwick
and Tannymorel and tell of her experience in West Australia. She
always had an audience of seven or eight, all who were up, in fact,
we all felt heartbroken when she was transferred”.
These stories should evoke a feeling of pride and admiration for all those who served, and it is only fitting that a memorial that honours them should be preserved for the next 100 years. Progress over the years has been inclined to forget the sacrifices that these young people from the district made, and should need constant reminders to keep the memories alive such as the ANZAC stories; hence the monuments.
The 100-year dedication of the Tannymorel memorial will begin at 10.30am on Sunday 6 February.
It will be preceded by a serving and ex-servicemen and women’s march to the Memorial Shrine and, after the ceremony, morning tea will be provided followed by a guest speaker in Major-General Stephan Day DSC, AM. (retired) State President of the Returned Services League of Queensland.
