Snowball marches
Encyclopedia
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, recruitment marches or snowball marches to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
were a feature of volunteer recruiting drives for the Australian Imperial Force
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
in rural New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Between October 1915 and February 1916, nine marches were held starting from various points in the state; the most notable was the first march from Gilgandra, known as the Cooee march. There was also a similar march in south-eastern Queensland. In 1918, in an effort to promote recruitment, another march was staged, but this was less spontaneous and the marchers in fact traveled by train.
The marches were called "snowball marches" in the hope that like a snowball rolling down a hill
Snowball effect
Snowball effect is a figurative term for a process that starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon itself, becoming larger , and perhaps potentially dangerous or disastrous , though it might be beneficial instead...
will pick up more snow, gaining more mass and surface area, and picking up even more snow as it rolls along, the marchers would also collect more marchers as they progressed to the recruiting depot.
Background
The Australian Imperial ForceFirst Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
was formed promptly on the declaration of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as a volunteer force; many men signed up immediately. From mid-June 1915 there was a substantial increase in recruitment, as state-based Parliamentary recruiting committees were formed and became active in towns, boroughs and shires. In June 1915 the Minister for Defense
George Pearce
Sir George Foster Pearce KCVO was an Australian politician who was instrumental in founding the Australian Labor Party in Western Australia....
set recruitment goals at 5,300 men per month in order to maintain the forces fighting at Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
.
This target was exceeded in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
when 21,698 men enlisted in that month, the largest number from any state during the war. The campaign in New South Wales by contrast was disappointing for state leaders — especially so in light of interstate rivalry between the two neighbors. It was suggested by the Premier of New South Wales
Premiers of New South Wales
The Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature...
, William Holman
William Holman
William Arthur Holman was an Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales, Australia, who split with the party on the conscription issue in 1916 during World War I, and immediately became Premier of a conservative Nationalist Party Government.-Early life:Holman was born in St Pancras, London,...
, that one of the reasons New South Wales was not meeting the targets was because the military authorities were not ready to accept the men at the time they offered to enlist and told them to come back later.
In response to these embarrassing recruitment shortfalls, some New South Wales residents launched a series of 'snowball
Snowball effect
Snowball effect is a figurative term for a process that starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon itself, becoming larger , and perhaps potentially dangerous or disastrous , though it might be beneficial instead...
' recruiting marches, which were intended to encourage men to enlist through the marchers' example. The first march was a locally based initiative led by the captain of the local Rifle Club in October 1915; eight other marches were known to have taken place over the next four months. Military authorities were initially ambivalent about the marches; they were not certain whether or not the men should march with rifles, when their pay would start, and who would clothe or feed them. Along the route however, local communities fed and housed the men, and the marches gained tremendous publicity. About 1,500 men marched in total, and they are credited by some sources with persuading anywhere from two to three times that number to enlist as a result.
Cooee March
Twenty six men left GilgandraGilgandra, New South Wales
Gilgandra, is a town and Local Government Area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the junction of the Newell Highway, Oxley Highway and Castlereagh Highway. It can be reached in about six hours by car from Sydney. Like Coonabarabran, Gilgandra can be...
on 10 October 1915 on the 'Cooee March', led by the Captain of the local rifle club, William Thomas Hitchen
William Thomas Hitchen
William Thomas Hitchen was the captain of the local Rifle Club in Gilgandra, New South Wales, Australia. He organised a recruiting march from Gilgandra to Sydney in late 1915. The march was an enormous success, with 263 recruits at the end....
. At each town on the route the marchers shouted "cooee
Cooee
Cooee! is a shout used in Australia, usually in the Bush, to attract attention, find missing people, or indicate one's own location. When done correctly - loudly and shrilly - a call of "cooee" can carry over a considerable distance....
" to attract recruits and held recruitment meetings. By the time they reached Sydney just over one month later on 12 November, the numbers had swelled to 263 recruits, marching a total of 320 miles and being welcomed by large crowds along the way.
During the march, the Cooees were issued about 50 dungarees in Dubbo, Army greatcoats in Orange
Orange, New South Wales
Orange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre....
and some additional dungarees in Lithgow.
The Dungarees
Twenty eight men left Warwick, QueenslandWarwick, Queensland
Warwick is a town in Queensland, Australia, lying south-west of Brisbane. It is the administrative centre of the Southern Downs Local Government Area. In 2006 the town of Warwick had a population of 12,562....
on November 16, 1915. The 'Dungaree march' in south-east Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
made its way through Allora
Allora, Queensland
Allora is a town in south-western Queensland, Australia, on the Darling Downs 158 km south-west of the state capital, Brisbane. The town is in the Southern Downs Region. The township is located on the New England Highway between Warwick and Toowoomba...
, Clifton
Clifton, Queensland
Clifton is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The lands around the town was first settled by Europeans in 1840. At the 2006 census, Clifton had a population of 1,067....
, Greenmount
Greenmount, Queensland
Greenmount Beach is the name of the southern end of Coolangatta Beach, located in Coolangatta on Queensland's Gold Coast. Greenmount Point is a coastal headland separating the Coolangatta stretch of beach to the north and Rainbow Bay to the south....
, Cambooya
Cambooya, Queensland
Cambooya is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, 148 kilometres west of the state capital, Brisbane.A suburban rail motor service from Toowoomba commenced in May, 1917, running to Wyreema, 10 miles away. It was extended to Cambooya and to Willowburn in 1918...
, Toowoomba
Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
, Helidon
Helidon, Queensland
Helidon is a town in the Lockyer Valley region of south east Queensland, Australia. Helidon is located on the Warrego Highway, west of the state capital, Brisbane and east of Toowoomba...
, Gatton
Gatton, Queensland
Gatton is a town and the administrative centre of the Lockyer Valley Local Government Area situated in the Lockyer Valley of South East Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Gatton had a population of 5,295....
, Laidley
Laidley, Queensland
Laidley is a town situated in the Lockyer Valley of South East Queensland, Australia. The township lies 83 km west of Brisbane, the state capital....
, Rosewood
Rosewood, Queensland
Rosewood is a small town in the Bremer Valley, Queensland, Australia. It is located 60 km west of the Brisbane CBD in the Ipswich City Council area and is the terminus of QR Citytrain's Rosewood railway line. Rosewood Railway Station provides Citytrain commuter rail services to Ipswich and...
, Ipswich
Ipswich, Queensland
Ipswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
and Oxley
Oxley, Queensland
Oxley is a south-western suburb of Brisbane located approximately 11 km from the Brisbane CBD. It was named after the early Australian explorer John Oxley. The suburb supports a mix of residential, retail and industrial land use....
. The 160 miles (270 k) march ended in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
with 125 recruits.
Waratahs
Men marched from the south coastSouth Coast, New South Wales
The South Coast refers to the narrow coastal belt from Sydney in the north to the border with Victoria in the south in the south-eastern part of the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is bordered to the west by the coastal escarpment of the Southern Tablelands, which is largely covered by a...
: Nowra
Nowra, New South Wales
Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven...
, Bomaderry
Bomaderry, New South Wales
Bomaderry is a town in the Shoalhaven council district area of New South Wales, Australia. In 2006, it had a population of 6,601 people. It is on the north shore of the Shoalhaven River, across the river from Nowra, the major town of the Shoalhaven,of which Bomaderry is locally regarded as being...
, Meroo, Berry
Berry, New South Wales
Berry is a small Australian town in the Shoalhaven region of the NSW South Coast in the state of New South Wales, located south of the state capital, Sydney. The indigenous people of the area were the Wodi Wodi people. In the 1810s, George William Evans, Government Surveyor, reported on the Berry...
, Gerringong
Gerringong, New South Wales
Gerringong is a town located about 10 minutes south of Kiama in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia in the Municipality of Kiama. At the 2006 census, Gerringong had a population of 3,588 people.One theory says that the name derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "fearful...
, Kiama
Kiama, New South Wales
-Transport:The town is served by Kiama Station on the South Coast Line. It is served by road in the form of the Princes Highway and the Kiama Bypass.-Attractions:...
, Jamberoo
Jamberoo, New South Wales
Jamberoo is a small picturesque village approx 11 km inland from Kiama on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Municipality of Kiama. At the 2006 census, Jamberoo had a population of 935 people...
, Albion Park
Albion Park, New South Wales
Albion Park is a suburb in the City of Shellharbour, which is in turn one of the three local government areas that comprise the Wollongong Metropolitan Area, New South Wales, Australia...
, Dapto
Dapto, New South Wales
Dapto is a southern suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the western side of Lake Illawarra and covering an area 7.15 square kilometres in size...
, Unanderra
Unanderra, New South Wales
Unanderra is a suburb of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 10 km south-west of the Wollongong CBD. It is bordered to the west by Farmborough, Cordeaux Heights and Farmborough Heights in the Mount Kembla foothills, the north by Figtree, the east by Berkeley...
, Port Kembla
Port Kembla, New South Wales
Port Kembla is a suburb of Wollongong 8 km south of the CBD and part of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The suburb comprises a seaport, industrial complex , a small harbour foreshore nature reserve, and a small commercial sector. It is situated on the tip of Red Point, first sighted...
, Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
, Balgownie
Balgownie, New South Wales
Balgownie is a small suburb of Wollongong City, New South Wales, Australia.Balgownie lies to the north-west of the Wollongong CBD. It stretches from the lower slopes of Mount Keira along the Illawarra escarpment to the base of the Broker's Nose promontory...
, Corrimal
Corrimal, New South Wales
Corrimal is a northern suburb of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Corrimal's CBD is situated on the Princes Highway, and several streets adjacent to it. The main shopping centres are Stockland Corrimal and Corrimal Park Mall next to the park on the highway. Outside this centre is...
, Woonona
Woonona, New South Wales
Woonona is a northern suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern area of the Illawarra coastal plain. It is served by Woonona Station on the South Coast Line, and by the Princes Highway....
, Bulli
Bulli, New South Wales
Bulli is a northern suburb of Wollongong situated on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. Bulli is derived from an Aboriginal word signifying "double or two mountains"....
, Thirroul
Thirroul, New South Wales
Thirroul is a northern seaside suburb of the city of Wollongong, Australia, with the name supposedly Aboriginal for "Valley of Cabbage Tree Palms". Situated between Austinmer and Bulli, it is approximately 13 kilometres north of Wollongong, and 69 km south of Sydney...
, Coledale
Coledale, New South Wales
Coledale is a small sea-side village approximately 18 kilometres north of Wollongong along the Princes Highway in New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the City of Wollongong and lies between Wombarra and Austinmer....
, Scarborough
Scarborough, New South Wales
Scarborough is a small northern seaside suburb of Wollongong on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It sits in the northern Illawarra region on a narrow stretch between the Illawarra escarpment and sea cliffs....
, Stanwell Park
Stanwell Park, New South Wales
Stanwell Park is a picturesque coastal village and northern suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is the northernmost point of the Illawarra coastal strip and lies south of Sydney's Royal National Park. It is situated in a small valley between Bald Hill to the north, Stanwell Tops...
, Helensburgh
Helensburgh, New South Wales
Helensburgh is a small town in New South Wales, Australia. Helensburgh is located 45 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and north of Wollongong. Helensburgh is in the local government area of Wollongong City Council and marks the northern end of the Illawarra region...
, Heathcote
Heathcote, New South Wales
Heathcote is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Heathcote is located 36 km south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire....
, Sutherland
Sutherland, New South Wales
Sutherland is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
, Hurstville
Hurstville, New South Wales
Hurstville is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hurstville is located 16 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Hurstville is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of...
, Kogarah
Kogarah, New South Wales
Kogarah is a suburb of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area...
, Rockdale
Rockdale, New South Wales
Rockdale is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rockdale is located 13 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area...
, arriving at The Domain, Sydney
The Domain, Sydney
The Domain is 34 hectares of open space in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Sydney central business district, near Woolloomooloo. The Domain adjoins the Royal Botanic Gardens and is managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust, a division of the New South...
. The contingent included men from Jervis Bay, and Kangaroo Valley
Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales
Kangaroo Valley is a valley along the Kangaroo River in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, located west of the seaside in the City of Shoalhaven...
even though these towns were not on the route. The Waratahs entered camp at Liverpool on 17 December 1915.
Kangaroo March
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...
on 1 December 1915. They marched via Harefield
Harefield, New South Wales
Harefield is a locality in New South Wales, Australia. It in the central east part of the Riverina and situated about 11 kilometres south from Junee and 35 kilometres north by road from Wagga Wagga....
, Junee
Junee, New South Wales
Junee is a medium sized town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town's prosperity and mixed services economy is based on a combination of agriculture, rail transport, light industry and government services, and in particular correctional services...
, Illabo
Illabo, New South Wales
Illabo is a locality in the South West Slopes part of the Riverina and situated about 13 kilometres southwest of Bethungra and 16 km northeast of Junee. At the 2006 census, Illabo had a population of 190 people. Illabo Post Office opened on 1 July 1879. A railway station on the Main...
, Bethungra
Bethungra, New South Wales
Bethungra is a locality in Junee Shire in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia situated on the Olympic Way about 13 kilometres northeast of Illabo and 24 kilometres southwest of Cootamundra....
, Cootamundra
Cootamundra, New South Wales
Cootamundra is a town and Local Government Area in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. At the 2006 census, Cootamundra had a population of 5,566. It is located on the Olympic Highway at the point where it crosses the Muttama Creek, between Junee and...
and Wallendbeen
Wallendbeen, New South Wales
Wallendbeen is a small town in southern New South Wales, Australia, administered by Cootamundra Shire Council. At the 2006 census, Wallendbeen and the surrounding area had a population of 316.The town's name is derived from an aboriginal word for 'stony hill'....
. At Wallendbeen on December 9, the Governor-General addressed the marchers. After Wallendbeen, they marched via Nubba
Nubba, New South Wales
Nubba is a locality and former railway station on the Main South railway line in New South Wales, Australia, located midway between Wallendbeen and Harden. The station was open between 1882 and 1975 and has now been demolished. At the 2006 census, Nubba had a population of 281 people.-References:...
to Murrumburrah
Murrumburrah, New South Wales
Murrumburrah is a township in New South Wales, Australia in Harden Shire and forms a twin town with Harden. It is near both the Canberra region of the Australian Capital Territory, and the Riverina Region in the southwest area of NSW. It is on the Burley Griffin Way, the major link from the...
and the next day they were at Harden
Harden, New South Wales
Harden-Murrumburrah is a township and community in the centre of Harden Shire and is located in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales in Australia and is adjacent to both the Canberra region of the Australian Capital Territory and the Riverina Region in the southwest area of NSW...
. They then marched through Galong
Galong, New South Wales
Galong is a small town in New South Wales, Australia located in Harden Shire. At the 2006 census, Galong had a population of 122 people.The town is well known for its cemetery, which has among other monuments, some angels carved by Frank Rusconi, the monumental mason from Gundagai.St Clement's...
, Binalong
Binalong, New South Wales
Binalong is a village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, 37 km north-west of Yass in Yass Valley Shire. In 2006, the town had a population of about 269 people.- Overview :...
and Bowning to Yass
Yass, New South Wales
Yass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" , said to mean 'running water'....
. From Wagga Wagga to Yass was a total of 132 miles, the march travelled at an average of 8.8 miles per day. As with other marches, the men were fed and feted by the local population; at Murrumburrah, for instance, donations included 114 puddings and 9 sheep to be baked gratis by the local bakers, 200 loaves of bread, 850 potatoes and 30 dozen eggs. They marched to Campbelltown
Campbelltown, New South Wales
Campbelltown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campbelltown is located 51 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Campbelltown.- History :Campbelltown...
via Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
. The Kangaroo recruits travelled from Campbelltown into Sydney by train arriving on 7 January 1916 with somewhere between 210 and 230 recruits. It had been decided that this recruitment drive would finish at Campbelltown so that a country contingent could be created. There were reports of rowdy and drunken behaviour along the route by the marchers. The best known recruit from this march was John Ryan
John Ryan (VC 1918)
Edward John Francis Ryan VC , better known as John Ryan, was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.He was approximately twenty eight years old, and a private...
who won the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
.
The Wallabies
‘Maitland’s Own’ Battalion, the 34th, was formed from a core of men who had commenced a recruitment march at NarrabriNarrabri, New South Wales
Narrabri is a town and seat of Narrabri Shire Council Local Government Area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia. Narrabri is situated on the Namoi River and lies northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway...
on 8 December 1915 and finished in Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
on 8 January 1916. Forty-three men began the march and 281 miles later there were 265 new recruits.
A re-enactment of the march was held on the 75th anniversary in 1990/1991.
Men from Snowy River
Delegate, New South Wales
Delegate is a small town in New South Wales, Australia in Bombala Shire, south of the state capital, Sydney. Delegate lies just a few kilometres from the state border between New South Wales and Victoria. At the 2006 census, Delegate had a population of 306 people. The township of Delegate lies on...
on 6 January 1916 to march the 220 miles to the nearest AIF Training Depot in Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
(currently the site of Goulburn High School). Marching under the 'Men from Snowy River' banner (now housed in the Western Front gallery at the Australian War Memorial), the recruitment march passed through the major regional centres of the Monaro
Monaro
Monaro may refer to several topics:* Monaro , a region in the south of the state of Australia* the Monaro Highway, the main state highway from Canberra to the Monaro region...
, with civil receptions at Bombala
Bombala, New South Wales
Bombala is a town in the Monaro region of south-eastern New South Wales, Australia, in Bombala Council. It is located approximately south of the state capital, Sydney, and south of the town of Cooma. The name derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "Meeting of the waters". The town lies on the...
, Cooma
Cooma, New South Wales
-Education: is Cooma's only public high school, it serves the town and seven of the neighbouring rural towns and villages such as Berridale, Jindabyne, Nimmitabel, Bredbo and Dalgety....
, Queanbeyan
Queanbeyan, New South Wales
Queanbeyan is a regional centre in the Southern Tablelands in south-eastern New South Wales adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory. The city's mixed economy is based on light construction, high technology, manufacturing, service, retail and agriculture. It is the council seat of the...
, Bungendore
Bungendore, New South Wales
Bungendore is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in Palerang Council. It is on the Kings Highway near Lake George, the Molonglo River Valley and the Australian Capital Territory border. It has become a major tourist centre in recent years, popular with visitors from...
and Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
.
Although volunteers joined the 'Snowies' as they passed through smaller towns and villages, massive civil receptions at the larger centres celebratised the 'Snowy' recruits, which was intended to entice further 'eligibles' at the meetings to do likewise. Such was the case with recruit Timothy McMahon, who despite volunteering to march with the Men from Snowy River at Michelago
Michelago, New South Wales
Michelago is a small settlement in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Cooma-Monaro Shire, approximately 54 km south of Canberra on the Monaro Highway. It was founded in the 1820s, on the main route from Sydney to the Snowy Mountains...
, was employed by recruiting staff to dramatically 'volunteer' at several of these receptions in order to appeal to the patriotism of the crowd, and lure other volunteers into enlisting.
The Men from Snowy River recruitment march arrived in Goulburn on 28 January 1916 144 men strong. Despite the massive media attention the recruitment march received in the local press, the end result of 144 recruits was disappointing to recruiting staff who had envisaged at least 200 men
One recruit who did join the march was Ernest Albert Corey
Ernest Albert Corey
Ernest Albert Corey MM & Three Bars was a distinguished Australian soldier who served as a stretcher bearer during the First World War. He enlisted in the First Australian Imperial Force on 13 January 1916, and was allocated to the 55th Battalion, where he was initially posted to a grenade section...
, a blacksmith from Nimmitabel
Nimmitabel, New South Wales
Nimmitabel is a small town in the Monaro region in southeast New South Wales, Australia, in the Cooma-Monaro Shire Local government area. At the 2006 census, Nimmitabel had a population of 237 people....
. Corey later served with the 55th battalion as a stretcher bearer, and is recognised as the only soldier in the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
to be awarded the Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
four times.
The majority of recruits who enlisted during the march later formed the 4th reinforcements of the 55th Battalion, AIF, all of which saw service on the Western front. Of the 144 men that enlisted in the march, 39 were later to be killed in action and 75 became casualties.
The Men from Snowy River recruitment march was relived during the Second World War when men retraced the original path of the 'Snowies', albeit diverting to Canberra. Both recruitment marches were commemorated by a reenactment of the march and a civil reception at the hall at Delegate in January 2006, on the 90th anniversary of the original Men from Snowy River march..
The Kookaburras
Twenty three men set out in January 1916 from Tooraweenah, New South WalesTooraweenah, New South Wales
Tooraweenah is a small village just off the Newell Highway about north east of Gilgandra in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Tooraweenah had a population of 239....
on a march to Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
to recruit men for service in World War I. Men were recruited from Coolah
Coolah, New South Wales
Coolah is a town in the central northern part of New South Wales, Australia in Warrumbungle Shire. At the 2006 census, Coolah had a population of 798....
, Mendooran and Dunedoo
Dunedoo, New South Wales
Dunedoo ) is a village of 836 inhabitants situated within the Warrumbungle Shire of central western New South Wales, Australia. Dunedoo is well known to Australian travellers due to its distinctive name...
, Binnaway
Binnaway, New South Wales
Binnaway is a small town located on the Castlereagh River in central New South Wales near the larger centre of Coonabarabran, which is about 35 kilometres to the north. In 2006, the town had a population of 495 people. The road linking these two towns closely follows the meandering Castlereagh River...
, Merrygoen
Merrygoen, New South Wales
Merrygoen is a small township in north-western New South Wales, Australia. The town is a junction point between railway lines to Troy Junction on the Coonamble railway line, and the Gwabegar railway line. The railway station is now closed however wheat silos and several sidings remain in use....
and Tucklan. En route, the Kookaburras are remembered for sleeping on the floor of the Capertee
Capertee, New South Wales
Capertee is a village 45km north of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia located on an elevated site above the Capertee Valley. In 2006, the town had a population of 72 people. Situated on the Castlereagh Highway between Lithgow and Mudgee, Capertee is surrounded by National Parks and grazing land...
school. There is a veteran's plaque on the Tooraweenah village common.
North Coast Boomerangs
Grafton, New South Wales
The city of Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1851, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. Located approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached...
on 18 January 1916 and arrived at Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
with 240 recruits. The march was accompanied by Bill Hitchen who had organised the original Snowball march of the Cooees.
Central West Boomerangs
Forbes, New South Wales
-Notable residents:*Carolyn Simpson - Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales; Member of the first all-female bench to sit in an Australian court*NSW Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt was born and raised in Forbes....
, Yamma Station, Eugowra
Eugowra, New South Wales
Eugowra is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located in the Cabonne Shire Local Government Area, west of the state capital, Sydney. At the 2006 census, Eugowra had a population of 535....
, Gooloogong
Gooloogong, New South Wales
Gooloogong is a village located in central New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Gooloogong and the surrounding area had a population of 852....
, Canowindra
Canowindra, New South Wales
Canowindra is an historic township located near Cowra in the central west of New South Wales, Australia in Cabonne Shire. Canowindra is on the Belubula River. The curving main street, Gaskill Street, is partly an urban conservation area. At the 2006 census, Canowindra had a population of 1,499...
, Billimari
Billimari, New South Wales
Billimari is a small village, approximately 25 kilometres out of Cowra, New South Wales in the Cowra Shire. From the last census, it has a population of 80.Category:Towns in the Central West, New South Wales...
, Cowra
Cowra, New South Wales
Cowra is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia in the Cowra Shire. It is located on the Mid-Western Highway, 317 kilometres west of Sydney on the banks of the Lachlan River at an altitude of 310 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census Cowra had a population of 8,430...
, Woodstock
Woodstock, New South Wales
Woodstock is a village in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. Itcontains remains of a brief goldrush during the late 19th century which left behind a number of substantial buildings before the village relapsed into relative isolation. It includes a restored railway station, hotel,...
, Lyndhurst
Lyndhurst, New South Wales
Lyndhurst is a small village in New South Wales, Australia in Blayney Shire. It is 4 kilometres west of Mandurama or about 269 km west of Sydney and 63 km south-west of Bathurst just off the Mid-Western Highway New South Wales. Once serving as the major centre for basic goods and needs...
, Carcoar
Carcoar, New South Wales
Carcoar is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, in Blayney Shire. In 2006, the town had a population of 218 people. It is situated just off the Mid-Western Highway 258 km west of Sydney and 52 km south-west of Bathurst and is 720 m above sea-level...
, Blayney
Blayney, New South Wales
Blayney is a farming town and administrative centre with a population of 2,745 in 2006, in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia...
, Newbridge
Newbridge, New South Wales
Newbridge is a village of about 100 residents in New South Wales, Australia in Blayney Shire. It is approximately 30 km from Bathurst and 15 km from Blayney in the Central Tablelands of NSW. At the 2006 census, Newbridge had a population of 90 people..- History :Newbridge village...
(to Georges Plains by train) and Perthville. They arrived in Bathurst with 202 recruits on 5 February 1916 at the same time as the Kookaburras from Tooraweenah and were given a combined reception. Each marcher was presented with a medallion in the shape of a boomerang
Boomerang
A boomerang is a flying tool with a curved shape used as a weapon or for sport.-Description:A boomerang is usually thought of as a wooden device, although historically boomerang-like devices have also been made from bones. Modern boomerangs used for sport are often made from carbon fibre-reinforced...
, engraved with their name and town and the words "Come Back".
On the Light Horse memorial at Cowra, a plaque commemorates the re-enactment of the 1916 Boomerang march held in February 1999.
Casterton to Melbourne
A "snowball" march of recruits from Casterton, VictoriaCasterton, Victoria
Casterton is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Glenelg Highway, 42 kilometres east of the South Australian border, in the Shire of Glenelg. The Glenelg River passes through the town...
in the Western District to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, a distance of about 245 miles, was planned in 1916. It is not certain if this proceeded.
Southern March to Freedom
A 1918 recruitment march from AlburyAlbury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
via Yass to Sydney. The march stopped at 12 towns but the 'marchers' travelled by train.
March to Freedom - Brisbane November 1918
There was a 'march to freedom' recruiting march in Brisbane in November 1918.Butler's 500 ‘Snowball March’
The 1918 march, from Edithburgh, South AustraliaEdithburgh, South Australia
Edithburgh is a small town on the south-east corner of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Edithburgh is about west of Adelaide across Gulf St Vincent, but away by road...
to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, raised 170 men just before the war’s end. Colonel Charles Butler, who'd fought on the Western Front, volunteered to raise 500 fighting men, but despite an enthusiastic response only 170 men enlisted.