Close to 25 people helped Lyn Burke and Lloyd Fox with their annual flag laying at the Proserpine Cemetery on Sunday.
Nearly 400 flags were laid beside war veteran’s graves as a sign of respect and thanks for their service.
Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox MP, provided the flags and assisted Lyn and the others in placing them at the grave sites.
He said, “It was humbling to see parents bring their children along to ensure we never forget.”
Lyn shared similar remarks and said, “It was great to see the next generation come and be interested.”
Lyn is member of Whitsunday Old Iron Restorers Club and managed to get the whole group involved in the flag laying.
Members noticed that some soldiers in the old cemetery have a white cross, and they believe this is not enough.
With money raised, the Whitsunday Old Iron Restorers Club are planning to replace the white crosses and give the deserving soldiers headstones with their appropriate emblem.
Lyn and Lloyd started caring for the veteran grave sites over eight years ago and are grateful for all the help they’ve received during that time.
Lyn joked that without people’s help, they would be out all day laying the flags.
Spending many hours researching the military men and women who have been laid to rest at the cemetery, Lyn and Lloyd thought they knew everything possible to know about the site.
That was until last Friday, when somebody alerted Lyn about a soldier.
With deeper research, Lyn identified the soldier and found that he died in 1920 at Gallipoli.
It is fascinating discoveries like this that keeps Lyn dedicated to the broader mission of preserving the military history of our region.
Lyn thanked everyone in attendance on the day and added that “We really appreciate Andrew, and we couldn’t be more grateful for him and his office.”
Federal Member For Dawson Andrew Willcox MP with members of the Whitsunday Old Iron Restorers Club at the flag laying ceremony at Proserpine Cemetery on Sunday. Photos supplied
