KALBAR RSL Sub-branch is among 57 ex-service and community organisations sharing in more than $3.5 million in grant funding to provide wellbeing projects and commemorative activities for veterans and their families.
Stephen Pace is chairperson of the Kalbar Honoured War Heroes sub-committee.
He said his organisation had been promised $10,000 and this would go towards the cost of research required to produce an Honour Roll Book.
He said other sources of funding to cover the outstanding cost of the research work, production costs and eventual book launch costs were being sought from several local commercial entities.
“The Kalbar Roll of Honour Book will comprise four parts,” he explained.
“Part one will detail the service of veterans from the Kalbar district who sacrificed their lives in WWI and WWII, as well as those who received honours and awards for bravery and leadership.
“Also included are the biographies of those men who were unfortunate to have become prisoners of war.”
He said part two would include biographies of the 146 men and women who served during WW2, survived and returned home.
“Part three will focus on historical information of military significance to Kalbar and district and part four, a detailed and photographic listing of memorial items presented to the next of kin of those who died while serving their country,” he said.
Mr Pace said he hoped the book would enable the history of what the region’s military families went through during a war time to be kept alive through print.
“As you can appreciate, a significant amount of research is required to produce a book of this magnitude so we have enlisted the services of Edwin Habben who is a well renowned military historian and author,” he said.
Mr Pace said some of his published works included honour roll books from Ipswich, Rosewood and Toowoomba.
“I believe the names listed on honour boards and honour stones throughout Australia, usually recorded as an initial and surname, are nameless names that tell us nothing about the person, their family and their service history,” Mr Habben said.
“Sadly, many of the names have a K or DOW beside them to indicate that they paid the ultimate sacrifice. 
“However, unless relatives of someone whose names appears on the honour board other persons have no knowledge what that initial and surname truly represents.”
Mr Pace said he hoped the book would be an important artefact that enabled the reader a glimpse back in time and accurately detailed the deeds, trials and tribulations of those who played such an important role in securing the freedoms we enjoy today in modern Australian society.
“In order to write this significant piece of our history, Eddie has set time aside to meet with descendants of those who are listed on the Kalbar Honour Boards,” he said.
The project falls under the government’s Saluting Their Service
Commemorative Grants Program, which aims to increase understanding of the veteran experience through a variety of activities.
“I will arrange initially to call at the Boonah Library and Kalbar School of Arts and Memorial Hall once a month to talk to the descendants of those named on the honour boards,” Mr Habben said of his planned research.
“I will gather information and photos that will enhance the biographies that will appear in the publication.
  “Also, I am happy for any interested person to contact me via my email address, ehabben@optusnet.com.au to discuss their relative.”