Community Recognition Notice - Creating Citizen Historians

10 November 2021

Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland)—I wish to recognise the innovative work of two Hunter based historians, Yvonne Fletcher & John Gillam, who have designed a national program to establish Living Memorials to the Fallen by encouraging school children to become Citizen Historians. During WWI, 60 000 Australian soldiers died. The issuing of medals to fallen soldiers was governed by the Deceased Soldiers Act 1918. Complications arising from the Act and its application resulted in large numbers of medals remaining unissued. Currently, relatives of WWI soldiers and/or eligible institutions such as schools, can apply to receive unissued medals. Since April 2021, John & Yvonne have actively supported eligible families and institutions across Australia to make applications for unissued medals for which they were eligible. They were inspired to develop a national schools' program Find Them, Remember Them – Creating Citizen Historians. The intent of the program is to research the soldier, and have students educate the local community at an appropriate ceremony. The schools will commemorate the sacrifice by their researched soldiers on commemorative occasions such as ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day. The memory of these soldiers, previously perhaps lost to time will now be kept current.