Hampden School Tree Avenue - War Memorials of Mackay & District, Queensland, Australia

Location:	Hampden State Primary School, Bruce Highway, via Kuttabul
Local Government Authority:	Mackay Regional Council
Year Constructed:	post 1918
Type of Construction:	Timber posts with brass plaques
War:	1914-1918
Names:	11 (all died in war)
History:	There are seven wooden posts with 11 brass plaques fixed. The Hampden State School Centenary book of 1987 (p.14) provides the following details: "Later Hampden was to have a more lasting memorial to its World War 1 heroes, the living memorial of green trees which have shaded two or three generations of Hampden pupils since, and look to shade a few more yet. The trees were planted with the names of deceased soldiers inscribed on brass plates on wooden posts. At a joint meeting of the Patriotic Committee and the School Committee held on 14th August 1929 the motion was carried "that the Patriotic Committee hand over the memorial Avenue and Honour Board to the School Committee, also the funds in hand, such funds to be left for the purpose of keeping the Memorial Avenue in order and renovating the Honour Board". This trust was largely accepted by the school in the following years. The weeping figs in the Memorial Avenue have proved to be very enthusiastic growers which need periodic cutting back. They were in a rather overgrown condition in 1946 and were expertly trimmed by Mr. Hicks, a Mackay City Council gardener, following negotiations by the then Head Teacher Mr. Oscar Bell. They have been trimmed, perhaps not quite so expertly, by working bees in latter years and continue to provide shade for all and shelter for birds. The name plates commemorating the fallen soldiers became rather tarnished and were polished and relocated on new posts at the instigation of Neville Thwaite when he was Head Teacher in the late 70's." The Plaques and posts over the years had deteriorated and it was decided to make a garden of remembrance in the School grounds and re-mount the plaques on new posts. A garden was prepared with a granite memorial and the 11 plaques were mounted on 4 new posts. The Remembrance garden was dedicated in a community ceremony on 11 November 2003.

Corporal A. Graffunder, 2nd Light Horse, Killed in Action.	GRAFFUNDER, Albert Christopher Julius, Corporal, 462, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, enlisted 21 August 1914, Killed in Action, 14th May 1915, Gallipoli, Turkey.
Trooper H.E.J. Macartney, 5th Light Horse, Died of Illness.	MACARTNEY, Harold Eric Joseph, Private, 1030, 5th Light Horse Regiment, enlisted 14 January 1915, Died of Disease 5 July 1915, Died at Sea, Indian Ocean.
Gunner A.W. Hansen, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade, Died of Wounds.	HANSEN, Arthur William (M.M.), Bombardier, 2244, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade / 2nd Field Artillery Brigade, enlisted 6 October 1914, Died of Wounds, 4 April 1918, Somme, France.

Name recorded
1. Private F. IWERS, 25th Bat., Killed in Action. 1. Private T. Hamilton, 25th Bat., Killed in Action
2. Private W. Howell, 26th Bat., Killed in Action. 2. Private H. Treloar, 31st Bat., Killed in Action.
3. Private F.S. Leighton, 26th Bat., Killed in Action. 3. Private A.R. Gibson, 31st Bat., Died of Illness.
4. Gunner A.W. Hansen, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade, Died of Wounds.
5. Captain R.J. Thompson, 26th Bat., Killed in Action.
6. Trooper H.E.J. Macartney, 5th Light Horse, Died of Illness.
7. Corporal A. Graffunder, 2nd Light Horse, Killed in Action. 7. Private R. McLeod, Died of Injuries.

Private T. HAMILTON, 25th Bat., Killed in Action	(Not Positively Identified)
Private F. IWERS, 25th Bat., Killed in Action.	IWERS, Frank Grainger, Private, 891, 25th Battalion, enlisted 6 February 1915, Killed in Action, 29 July 1916, Pozieres, France.
Private R. McLEOD, Died of Injuries.	McLEOD, Robert, Private, 2537, 49th Battalion, enlisted 27 May 1916, Died of Disease 14 January 1917, Glasgow, Scotland.