Councils Honour The Fallen

Image: Studio portrait of Corporal Robert Heard (on left) and another 7th Battalion soldier, Pte Charence Godfrey Wallis. Corporal Heard served on the Western Front with the 59th and the 57th Battalions and was killed in action on 21 March 1918 near Messines, Belgium. Pte Heard is buried in the La Plus Douve Farm Cemetery, Belgium

Local Governments across Australia are embracing the opportunity to commemorate the service and sacrifice of local citizens during the Great War 1914-1918. Newspaper reports from a century ago remain as a testament to the dedication of councils and shires during the Great War. Contemporary Local Governments have continued this great tradition with their support for the Anzac Centenary.

Dandenong City Council provides one such example of a Local Government continuing this long tradition into the present. The Council received a $37,300 grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify and map a series of walking trails in the Greater Dandenong area. These trails will explore significant Great War stories and important sites.

Robert and Wallace Heard were brothers from Dandenong. Their memory is just one of a series of similar Anzac stories to be honoured by these walking trails. The Heard brothers joined the Australian Imperial Force and shipped off with their battalions to fight in Belgium. Robert was killed in action only 24 hours after his brother Wallace.