Step back in time as everyday Australians are plucked from their homes in the outer suburbs and rural fringes and plunged into the fray of World War I. Their stories have remained untold for a century but are contained now within these pages, written by family, friends, and historians, keen to bring the memory of their loved ones out of the shadows.
There’s the unusual gift sent by a faraway soldier as a declaration of love, the military medal recipient who would return to build the Fairfield RSL, the Arthur’s Creek orchardist who left behind an unknown fiancée only to be “discovered” decades later by the family … and so much more.
Yarra Plenty Regional Library have gathered stories from the municipalities of Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea in Melbourne’s north – stories that help connect us to our past and offer a sense of place in the community in which we live, and which exemplify the fine spirit and pluck exhibited by every Australian.
Fine Spirit and Pluck: World War One Stories from Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea is a poignant collection of snapshots into the past, an anthology that commemorates the Australian spirit and which is sure to touch every reader.