On July 12, 1918 the Pakenham Gazette published the following report on the unveiling of an Honor Roll at the Cora Lynn State School. The article includes a great list of local children who participated in the sports programme. The big question remains - where is this Honor Board now? I had never heard of it before I found this article.
There are six names listed in this article as being on the Honor Board - Emmite (actually Emmott), Jeffers, Johnson, Murdock (actually Murdoch), Scanlon and Smith. I have written about these men in my article about the War Memorial at Cora Lynn which was unveiled in February 1922; you can read it here.
Arbour Day, Cora Lynn, c. 1910
Museums Victoria https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/767736
On Friday last Arbor Day was celebrated at the local school. There was a large attendance of parents and friends, who joined heartily in the picnic, races and games.
The successful competitors in the races were: - Boys over 13: Roy Wilkinson 1, F. Cozens 2; girls over 13: L. Murdock 1, D. Gardner 2; boys between 11 and 13: S. Murdock 1, J. Quigley 2; girls between 11 and 13: W. Tierney 1, Z. Roberts 2; boys between 9 and 11: T. McGrath 1, J. Leslie 2; girls between 9 and 11: Doris Gardiner 1, B. Johnson 2; boys between 7 and 9: H. Leslie 1, John Quigley 2; girls between 7 and 9: M. Roberts 1, R. Rice 2; boys between 5 and 7: W. Adcock 1, W. Sommers 2; girl; between 5 and 7: Nellie Jeffers 1, M. Quigley and R. Scott 2; young men: D. Wakenshaw 1, H. Murdock 2, -. Lovell 3; young ladies: Miss E. Gardner 1, Miss M. Gardner 2, Miss M. Higgins 3; high jump (boys): A. Murdock 1, F. Cozens 2; high jump (young men) : D. Wakenshaw 1, H. Murdock 2.
During the afternoon the unveiling of the Roll of Honor took place. The head teacher (Mr G. B. Osborne) spoke of the pride we Australians have in the voluntary system under which these men enlisted to do their duty. Every school, he said, was proud, and justly so, of its old boys who had gone to fight for it. Two deeds on the battle field were then related, viz., "How an Australian sergeant captured twenty Germans by means of bluff and a bottle of iodine," and "How an Australian had carried despatches through a German barrage fire seven times. On the seventh trip, in spite of a severe wound, he carried the message to the Colonel, and dropped dead immediately the message was delivered." "Dozens of such deeds are heard of," said Mr Osborne, "but there are hundreds that never get beyond the persons concerned. Such deeds the men whose names are on the Roll of Honor have performed, and, with the exception of two who have paid the supreme sacrifice, are still performing."
Cr P. Walsh then performed the unveiling ceremony, and spoke feelingly of how these men used to be with us on previous Arbor Days, and how they nobly responded to the call for men. After the unveiling ceremony, every one joined whole-heartedly in singing "God bless our splendid men."
The following names appear on the Honor Roll:
R. Emmite (killed)
R. A. Jeffers
C. T. Johnson
A. C. Murdock
J. Scanlon
B. Smith (killed)
R. Emmite (killed)
R. A. Jeffers
C. T. Johnson
A. C. Murdock
J. Scanlon
B. Smith (killed)
In the evening a dance, interspersed with a few items by the school children, was held in aid of the Patriotic Fund, for which £4 was raised. A waltzing competition was also held, the successful competitors being Mr P. Fitzgerald and Miss Guiney. Altogether both Arbor Day and Night were highly successful. (Pakenham Gazette Friday July 12, 1918, see here)
