Former Maranoa servicemen and women to be honoured through online history website
05 September 2025
Leader of The Nationals and Member for Maranoa David Littleproud has secured $27,000 in Saluting their Service grants, for three local organisations to commemorate the service and sacrifice of former servicemen and women from Maranoa.
Mr Littleproud said the grants were crucial to continuing the legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for Australia.
“The service of our local heroes is imperative to our history and also for awareness of future generations to come,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Our freedom and democracy is thanks to those who have served and so these grants are an incredible tool to ensure their names are remembered.”
A grant of $9750 has been awarded to the Yelarbon Anzac Day committee, to create an online platform for the identities and local connections of Yelarbon’s WWI veterans.
Yelarbon Anzac Day committee chairperson Thomas Springborg said the committee had partnered with Warwick military historian Deborah Wheeler, to research 51 WW1 soldiers from Yelarbon and its surrounding district, and upload the information onto the Southern Downs Military History website, https://sdmh.au/southern-downs-veterans.
“This will be a really important education tool for future generations, particularly as the world becomes more digitised,” Mr Springborg said.
“It will be vital for the legacy of the town, the history of the town and especially for the ex-service personnel on our Roll of Honour.
“This will help safeguard our history and ensure that as the number of people who provide us with our current local knowledge dwindle, we will not lose our connection to the past, as it will be available in a free to use and readily accessible online source.”
The Dalveen Sports Club has been awarded a $9750 grant, to identify the Dalveen soldiers not included on the original Dalveen WWI Honour Board unveiled in 1921, and also upload the information onto the Southern Downs Military History website.
Ms Wheeler said the addition of the Dalveen and Yelarbon names will increase the number of Veterans on the digital Honour Roll, which currently has 1105 names.
There are also 67 Memorials from the region which have been completed, with more being researched as they are identified.
“This website is by far one of the most important pieces of history for the Maranoa region and for appreciating the freedom and lifestyle we enjoy,” Ms Wheeler said.
“I am extremely thankful for these grants. As you can appreciate, finding names and details of our former servicemen and women is an extremely time consuming – but crucial –
process. We are also capturing an important part of our local cultural history.”
A further $7500 grant has been awarded to the Keinjan Elders Aboriginal Corporation, to create an online Honour Roll of those who served from the Keinjan, Bidjara and Kambuwal people.
