Six young men from Noosa, most of them teenagers, signed on to go to World War I and none returned.
The men whose names are etched on the cenotaph at Tewantin were remembered on Sunday at a Remembrance service to mark 100 years since the end of the war.
School teacher William Bauer, 18, dairy farmer James Marsden, 19, drover Robert Finney, 19, Roy Finney, 19, of Tewantin, labourer Roy Barr and coach driver Harold White, 25, all died from injuries suffered on the battlefields of Europe and were buried on foreign soil.
Sunshine Beach State High School students had researched the former soldiers, following their journeys on ships across the sea to training in England and battles in places that have become household names to Australians – Flanders Fields, the Somme and Villers Bretonneux and relayed their stories during the service.
2018 Premiers Anzac Prize winner Jack Frey travelled this year to the battlefields, experienced ANZAC Day at Gallipoli and researched the life of WWI soldier Stanley Adams who signed on at 16 years of age, “seeing it as an adventure and a chance to see the world” and died on the battlefield.
“They gave their today for our tomorrow,” he said.
Under sunny skies veterans joined representatives from the Australian Light Horse, dignitaries and families while Tewantin Noosa RSL president Mick Reid led the service. He spoke of the more than 60,000 Australians who died in the war, the many more injured and the ongoing gratitude we give to their sacrifice.
“So many lost, so many affected, so many communities suffered greatly,” he said.
