We are proud to provide ongoing support to the Headstone Project and the important work the team does in ensuring these lost veterans receive the recognition they deserve.
The Malinauskas Government will provide $60,000 in funding over the next three years to the Headstone Project SA, which aims to restore the memory of World War I veterans in unmarked graves across South Australia.
The funding, provided through Veterans SA, underscores the State Government’s ongoing commitment to honouring South Australia’s lost war heroes, having already contributed $114,000 to the project over the past seven years.
It is estimated that there are currently more than 2,500 veterans in unmarked graves across 900 cemeteries in South Australia. The Headstone Project seeks to identify soldiers in unmarked graves and provide formal headstones bearing their names and service details to honour their sacrifice to the nation.
The project is run by a small team of volunteers, who are dedicated to conducting extensive research, record matching, identifying and locating soldiers’ descendants, erecting new headstones and conducting dedication services.
Since the project began in 2017, the graves of 108 veterans have been dedicated with official headstones, with a further six graves to be memorialised by the end of 2024.\
The local team is also working to identify WWI nurses believed to be buried in unmarked graves in South Australia. They have enlisted the support of high school students from Adelaide’s St Mary’s College to undertake research, locate graves and help organise dedication services, connecting South Australia’s younger generation to the state’s rich military history.
The State Government has committed $20,000 per annum to the project for three years. For more information visit theheadstoneprojectsa.org.
Quotes attributable to Joe Szakacs
We are proud to provide ongoing support to the Headstone Project and the important work the team does in ensuring these lost veterans receive the recognition they deserve.
Through this funding, we are demonstrating our commitment to restoring the memory of our WWI veterans honouring their sacrifice to our nation and preserving the state’s proud military history for generations to come.
The Headstone Project is a worthy cause that brings to light South Australia’s rich wartime heritage. By involving students in the project, it instils in our younger generation the value of recognising and remembering the sacrifice of those who served.
Quotes attributable to John Brownlie, President, The Headstone Project SA
The Headstone Project South Australia is delighted to receive funding, through Veterans SA, to continue its vital work in commemorating the final resting place of our WWI veterans and honouring their service to Australia through formal headstones and dedication ceremonies.
The funding will enable us to recognise and formally consecrate a further 15 graves of WWI veterans across South Australia, and continue our research into uncovering more veterans, including a number of nurses who served in WWI.
Through our work in identifying the descendants of these war veterans, we are able to bring together family members, who are often unaware they had an ancestor unremembered in an unmarked grave.
It gives us immense satisfaction to unite families from across the country, and in some cases overseas, at dedication services in South Australia, bringing these families closure and the veterans the recognition they deserve.
