Every serviceman and woman deserves our gratitude. However, with over 102,000 names on the memorial in Canberra, the sheer volume can blur into obscurity the individuals who died. We often miss the important details of the individual soldier’s life. Yet in Kangaroo Valley, I know the stories of every young man who left, never to return.

What started out as a history assignment many years ago when I first lived in Kangaroo Valley, turned into something more real and important than I could have ever imagined.

One day when walking in town, I stopped to look at the cenotaph and thought it would be a good idea for my students to research the names on the memorial. In World War I, there were 58 young men who left for war, 21 of them never to return. Another eight were lost in World War II.

The deeper the students researched each young man’s background, a series of wonderful and heartbreaking stories emerged. No longer was this just a collection of names on a memorial. Their stories came alive.

My students gained access to military service records of each soldier and the stories of their lives became even more real when we located Red Cross records, many of which gave heart wrenching accounts of how each young man died.

We found letters, journals, family photos and newspaper articles about the men. For me, no longer were they a name on the cenotaph.

They were wonderful, recognisable members of our small community who lost their lives fighting to protect our values and way of life. I was so pleased to see in 2012, their stories published by Geoff Todd in his history titled, The Valley Boys.

When the Last Post sounds I think about Thomas Edward Scott (20) and his brother Peter Joseph Scott (18), both killed in action. I think about Joseph (32) and David (22) Beacom, brothers whose graves were never known. I think about Eric Austin Tate (26) and every other one of the brave young men who never truly had the chance to live their lives and who never saw home again.

While the years roll on and new generations of Australians come together to commemorate the sacrifices of those who went to war, I encourage you to look deeper into each and every one of the names that are forever etched in your local Roll of Honour. 

Lest we forget. 

The enduring Anzac legacy and the ideal of mateship are more important than ever before.

Mateship is an integral part of the Australian identity. It’s an ideal that defines our nation’s character – this idea of looking out for each other, through the good times and the bad.

The Salvos have served alongside Australian troops in both world wars and has supported them on deployments in Korea and Vietnam. Today, we are present in military bases across the country.

We’ve been there providing support to our troops in their times of need – giving them a hand up and a listening ear in their darkest times. We recognise the power of mateship and why it’s a vital part of the Australian spirit.

Whether a simple act of kindness or helping someone rebuild after tragedy – mateship is the common thread that unites us and something that will always endure.

As we enter these uncertain times, I encourage all Australians to reflect on the Anzac spirit and the strength and hope it brings, and remember why mateship is an ideal still worth fighting for.