Grief of townships that went to war

Each time I drive through the Maclagan township at the Bunya Mountains' foothills, I become more intrigued by its history. The township, with a population of approximately 340, has a town hall, corner store and church, and a pub in the neighbouring Quinalow. I stop at Maclagan’s store on most trips up the mountain to grab a bite before making the last short leg of my journey. I love the store, and walking through the front doors, I feel transported back a few decades with memorabilia every way I look. There is a well-kept park within a short distance, and it always seems the perfect place to sit and eat what I have bought.

The front of the park is a monolith with the words ‘IN MEMORIAM of the Soldiers from this District who made the Supreme Sacrifice’ inscribed on one side and 'This monument was erected by the residents of Maclagan & Quinalow District in honour of the soldiers who enlisted in the Great War 1914-1918'. On each of the four sides of the structure, lists of names are carved into the stone under the headings 1914-1918, 1939-1945, Korea and Vietnam.

I took the time this trip to read and count 103 names. During the Second World War, 80 lives were lost in the district. Many surnames were engraved there twice, three times, or even four.

Think about that for a moment. Think about a small country town and neighbouring district who sent their men to war, and 103 never returned. Fathers and sons, brothers and cousins. The men of the town. Young men not only believed they were doing the right thing but wanted to go, believing they were doing something honourable and likely wanting to prove they were men and follow in the footsteps of those they respected.

While I am talking about the impact of men, it doesn’t take away from the fact that women joined the services and their loss was just as devastating.

Now, take a moment to think of that loss. The impact of those lives lost. The psychological grief that individuals and the community would have felt. The physical and financial impact of men who ran the properties and young men who did the manual labour. The social impact of a community without men has no way of procreating and building a future generation.

The collective sadness, depression, guilt, anger and overall hurt of those left behind and the lucky few who returned. Though I imagine the few who returned felt nothing lucky about it. There is too much to bear, and I am surprised there is anything left of Maclagan eighty years on.

I now have tears in my eyes and gratitude in my heart, and I do hope the next time you drive through the towns of Maclagan and Quinalow or any other similar Australian township, you stop to read the names and think for a moment about the sacrifice that was made.