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Next Thursday, July 24, the Neville Howse VC Rest Area in the Ellenborough Falls Reserve at Elands will be dedicated and opened.
The project involves having the road between the Wingham Memorial Hall and the Wauchope Memorial Clock Tower recognised as the Wingham to Wauchope War Veterans Remembrance Drive, taking travellers on the hinterland route via Bobin, Marlee, Elands, Comboyne, Byabarra and Huntingdon, with the Neville Howse VC Rest Area to be a major feature.
The preliminary works and dedication ceremony have been made possible by a $10,000 grant from Deputy Premier and Member for Oxley Andrew Stoner to create the remembrance area in honour of Australia's first Victoria Cross recipient, as part of the Anzac Centenary commemorations 2014-2018.
The project got under way with a submission in 2011 to create the community commemorative initiative with the theme "Remembrance through Education".
Schools along the route will be actively involved with researching and telling the stories of war veterans and their families from the area, the victories and many hardships that were endured during the hard times of war, maintaining families and farms while so many men were fighting overseas, organisers say.
The project is being organised by an association made up of community members from the Greater Taree and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council areas, with the support of both councils, local State and Federal MPs, RSLs and National Servicemen's Associations.
The project steering committee includes both mayors, council general managers, and representatives of Roads and Maritime Services, the Education Department and Department of Premier and Cabinet.
The ceremony dedicating the Neville Howse Rest Area, taking place at noon in Thursday, July 24, will be attended by local MPs and local government leaders and is intended to be a low profile community based event, involving the schools along the Remembrance Drive route, organisers say.
Neville Howse, a doctor, was Australia's first Victoria Cross recipient. He was awarded the decoration for an act of valour on July 24, 1900, in the Boer War, when he rescued and treated wounded men while under heavy fire.
In World War One Neville Howse enlisted again and became Director of Medical Services which, under his leadership, was completely reformed and restructured to the highest standards, resulting in the saving of countless lives.
More information is available from the War Veterans Remembrance Drive Association president, Darcy Elbourne, at darcyelbourne@bigpond.com or on 6552 5519.