Australian Theme- marking the phases of life.

NSW Theme- birth and death.

Local Themes- Activities associated with the initial stages of human life and the bearing of children, and with the final stages of human life and disposal of the human dead.

Grave furnishings, cemetery, memorial plantings and commemorative events.

Australian Theme- governing.

NSW Theme- defence.

Local Themes- Activities associated with defending places from hostile takeover and occupation.

War memorials, individual grave sites, honour boards and commemorative halls.

The cultural landscape of Gwydir Shire is linked in a number of ways with the war efforts of Australia from throughout the twentieth century with particular reference to the Boer War, World Wars One and Two as well as the Vietnam and Korean conflicts.  The region’s rural environment was selected for soldier settlement schemes and there are numerous monuments in churches and public buildings to commemorate those who served and those who paid the supreme sacrifice.  Detailed reports on these monuments can be found in other parts of this history including the chapters entitled: PUBLIC EDUCATION for CHILDREN and ADULTS and MONUMENTS and MEMORIALS.

Boer War Volunteers

A local unit of reservists was formed in Bingara by December 1899 and that month, three Bingara men volunteered for service in the second contingent in the Transvaal War: Walter Bull, grazier; Joseph Hamilton, bandmaster and James Percy Kelman.  Later in January Nelson Rose, George Bull, Ernest Bull and John Smith applied for enrolment in the Bushmen’s contingent.  Two brothers Frank and Nelson Rose were farewelled by forty townsmen as they left to join the Bushmen’s Contingent.  Other volunteers included Joe Hamilton, Walter Bull, Kelman, McArthur, Jenner and J.C. Acheson.  

A New South Wales Patriotic Fund was established and local Bingara residents contributed to the fund.

World War One

Once war was declared, country communities throughout Australia rallied to the war effort.  The members of Warialda, Bingara and surrounding districts were no exception.  A meeting of Warialda Ladies was held at the School of Arts on Tuesday 18 August 1914 to form a ‘Comforts for Wounded Soldiers’ project during the war.  On the following evening thirty people attended a public meeting in Warialda called by the Mayor ‘to lend assistance to the patriotic movement in progress throughout the Commonwealth’. By 7 September ₤555 3s 10d had been collected from the community and a Red Cross Society had been formed.  

Late in January 1915 a Belgium Day was held in Warialda.  At the Australia Day Appeal in 1915, the Bingara community raised about ₤4000 to support the war effort whilst the Warialda district raised ₤1450. The Warialda community formed a Recruiting Association by August 1915 to raise money to assist parliamentarians travelling country areas to recruit soldiers.  Sports Days were held at the Recreation Grounds to raise funds for special appeals such as the Belgian Day and other socials held to raise money for other organizations including the Australian Wounded Soldiers Fund.  All small communities also rallied and by May 1915 Gravesend with a population of 181 had raised ₤3 4s 5d per capita. Late that year, a Sandbag Society was formed at the Public School.  

Further fund raising events were held throughout the war.  On Anniversary Day, 26 January 1916 a Grand Patriotic Sports Carnival and Children’s Picnic was held on the Warialda Recreation Ground with all funds raised for the Allies Fund.  In February 1916 a Yallaroi Shire and Warialda Wounded Soldier’s Fund was created.

One hundred Kurrajongs from Inverell arrived by train in Warialda on Wednesday 12 January 1916.  Accompanied by the local Brass Band, the soldiers proceeded to the Recreation Ground where a rally was held that night.  On the following day, the group proceeded to Moree and finally camped at Narrabri.

Later that month, an ‘Allies Day’ Carnival raised ₤1000 for the war effort and a month later, a Soldiers Fund was commenced. A detailed report of the ‘March to Freedom’, a patriotic recruiting drive was published in the Warialda Standard, 19 August 1918.

A Warialda and District Returned Soldier’s League was formed and in September 1919, the League announced its intention in opening a Club Room next to Carney’s Store.  D. Mackay of Gunyerwarildi opened the club on Saturday 13 September.

World War One Groups

Throughout the war, the Warialda Standard published frequent reports of the Warialda Junior Knitting Circle, the Red Cross Society and the War Chest effort. 

World War Two

Bingara established a branch of the Australian Comforts Fund on 31 January 1940 to send parcels to local soldiers serving overseas.

A citizen’s welfare committee was formed in Warialda in November 1938 and action was taken to form a Ladies Auxiliary.

A meeting was held in the Memorial Hall on Saturday 26 November 1938 organised by the Returned Soldiers’ League to form a Light Horse Brigade at Warialda.  Major General Richardson and Lieut. Colonel Ridley, who were visiting the North West District enlisting troops for the 24^th Light Horse Regiment, attended the meeting and gave full accounts of the movement. Two months later, Captain Morgan of the Light Horse division of the Northwest was a guest of the Warialda Defence Committee on Saturday January 1939.  Some thirty men with extras such as farriers, cooks and bugler presented themselves to be medically examined for enlistment.

The first public appeal in the district for men and money to assist the Country’s war effort was held at Warialda on Saturday 23 July 1940.  A committee had been formed and at that stage, some sixty men had passed through the local recruiting office.

After instructions received from the War Agricultural Committee (District Centre Gunnedah), a public meeting was held at North Star on 16 October 1942.  It was decided to form a Local Committee to assist the Central Committee with the national work of primary production in this district.  It was determined to create labour pools, to organise casual labour and seek support from the Women’s Land Army.  At that stage, a Gravesend and North Star Australian Comforts Fund had been established as well as a Defence Committee at Gravesend.

By November 1942 a V.D.C. Company’s headquarters was established at Warialda and a committee appointed to raise funds to cover expenses.

An extensive orange tree-planting program has taken place during the past few years and the ailing Valencia trees have been replaced with navel orange trees.  About 65-70 trees have been planted and now they extend along Finch Street, as well as the boundary of Gwydir Oval.  One of the original Valencia orange trees remains on the street corner adjacent to the Bingara RSL Club.

Ron Irlam, editor of the Bingara Historical News has written of the significance of this memorial.  The trees are a living memorial to the fallen servicemen of Bingara of both world wars and subsequent international conflicts.  They also remind us of the men and women who served and returned.  Of particular significance is that we remember the young men who did not return to their families.  He has concluded his editorial in the following way: 

Our Orange Trees are a living memorial to these men; the trees supplement our Memorial Park and Memorial Rose Garden in a way that draws attention to the strong feelings of Bingara residents in a unique manner.  There are other living memorials in other parts of Australia, but nowhere is there the unique link with the following generations of children who are an integral participating part in the ceremonial picking of the fruit, in the care and a safe guarding of the trees and the oranges.  Thus the REMEMBERANCE aspects and significance of the orange trees will be carried on through future generations.