Bill Gaynor of the Blackboy Hill Commemorative Site Committee, former President of the WA RSL and headmaster of Greenmount Primary School, met us there well prepared with a wide-brimmed hat (which not all of us remembered...!) and, after the obligatory photo that I forced upon them all - 'Say Blackboy Hill!' - sat us on the Commemorative bench facing the iconic Blackboy Hill ellipses monument.
The tour lasted about 1 hour and took us through a brief history of the site. Bill stressed that it is not to be referred to as a 'War Memorial' but as a 'Commemorative Site' that honours and celebrates the bravery of the 32,000 Anzac soldiers who trained there.We wandered around the grounds, which is only a portion of the original site. It would have been all state housing if not for the efforts of Bill and others, who lobbied the state to have a section preserved. It is now a heritage-listed place.
There are few remnants left from the training camp, and one of them is the original ablutions block. The slant of the land helped the waste travel down the hill... innovative. And nose-wrinkling.
We were thrilled to discover a plaque for our sentimental favourite VC, among 12 in total who trained at Blackboy Hill, Capt. Hugo Throssell (Katharine Susannah Prichard's husband).
It was an inspiring day. Our group left feeling re-invigorated and honoured to tell the tales of this significant site, and preserve
its history for future generations.
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