'A first for our area': Cemetery flying the flag for Border city's veterans

Wodonga Cemetery Trust, together with Wodonga RSL and Vietnam Associated Veterans Club Wodonga, have committed to placing Australian flags on the more than 500 veterans graves at Wodonga Cemetery on Wednesday, April 24, to encourage the community to visit on Anzac Day and pay their respects.

Army, navy and air force cadets, along with Wodonga RSL and other returned service members will gather from 4.30pm on Anzac Day eve, April 24, to put the flags in place.

Around 500 veterans are interred at Wodonga Cemetery, which makes up more than five per cent of the 9000 people buried at the site, established on the corner of Melrose Drive and Sangsters Road in 1860.

Wodonga Cemetery Trust member Cheryl Tomlinson helped make the idea a reality after learning it had been recently introduced at a Melbourne cemetery.

"One of the trust members Ceryn Campbell had actually seen it done at another cemetery. When she had let me know, because I'm a previous member of the forces, I took an interest," Miss Tomlinson said.

"I had been photographing all the headstones and plaques within the cemetery, so it was an easy task to start making a list, and it just kept getting bigger and bigger.

"We ended up with over 500 veterans, around 400 of those have an insignia and about 100 don't have anything, but we do know that they are veterans.

"Anyone is welcome on Anzac Day to come along and have a look and peruse the cemetery grounds. They can see who the veterans are and hopefully it will inspire the community.

"It's a first for our area."

Miss Tomlinson said it was important to recognise Wodonga's veterans and for the community to see where they fought, with the longer term goal to open the cemetery for tours to share stories of those killed in conflicts.

"It will allow the younger generation to learn more about our veterans," she said.

"We have them crossing from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and conflicts since then, but we don't know what those conflicts are, because that information is not readily available as yet.

"One of the things that would be really good is if people who are aware of family members who are veterans start getting in touch with us.

"If they don't have an insignia, that could possibly be an option for families. It's also nice for the cemetery to have stories from the Vietnam vets and all the other wars as well.

"We can do tours and talk about what they did. Especially in World War I and World War II, so being able to determine the stories is really important."

Vietnam Associated Veterans Club Wodonga secretary Estelle Harry said the placing of flags was a great way to bring all veterans together.

"It is quite important for the Vietnam vets, especially the vets themselves because they don't get recognised very often," she said.

"The Vietnam vets celebrate our Long Tan Day on the 18th of August, so the RSL support us in that respect, and we support them on Anzac Day.

"It's all about volunteering to be able to support each other and the vets community."

Ms Harry said the club's goal was to encourage the younger generations to get involved in volunteering to ensure recognition of veterans continued.

"On Friday nights at the vets club, speaking to the old diggers, their stories are amazing with what they went through. A lot of them are open to speak, some aren't, but it's just amazing to hear," she said.

"All the diggers are passing away and there's a not a lot of the next generation that wants to continue it. Our goal is to continue with the next generation.

"We want to invite more children and teenagers and get schools involved, along with the whole community."

Flags will remain in place until Sunday, April 28.

Miss Tomlinson said Wodonga Cemetery Trust planned to make the placing of flags on veterans' graves an annual Anzac Day tribute.