The sacrifice and stories of 61 brave Keilor residents who served Australia in World War I have been enshrined in a book and DVD by Keilor Historical Society.
Society president Susan Jennison said the society was excited about creating “a legacy for these brave people”.
“We’ve been working on very fine timelines,” she said.
“We started the DVD production in December, using much of the work we’ve spent the last few years doing.”
The book’s aim of raising awareness of the 59 soldiers and two nurses who stepped up in wartime has been helped by a $25,000 federal government grant.
The Keilor honour roll at the Old Shire Hall in Keilor Village also records the deaths of 11 of the soldiers from Keilor.
“It’s important we’re illustrating what it was like in a small country town when people enlisted and were sent away to unfamiliar countries,” Ms Jennison said.
“It’s not like now when you can get on the internet and get a picture.
“Their sense of geography was completely different … it would’ve been so overwhelming.
“The enlistment ages of the 61 people on the roll range from 18 to one man who was almost 60 but gave his age as 44 … they weren’t all young men.
“The 61 people on the roll include four brothers – Donald, Gordon, James and William Anderson – from Buckley Park Farm.
“We’re telling the story of the nurses who served, too; they also put their lives at risk,” Ms Jennison said.
“They didn’t get the same pay as men – and at the end of the war they had to raise the money themselves to get back to Australia.”
Calwell federal Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou said the funding from the office of Veterans’ Affairs Minister Michael Ronaldson had enabled the group to commemorate a poignant period of history.
“This year’s 2015 ANZAC centenary is an important occasion to remember and commemorate the sacrifices made by many Australian men and women to defend and protect our way of life,” Ms Vamvakinou said.
