Hume and the Great War; the Kangaroos

101 years ago, as the Kangaroos marched into villages across Hume, townsfolk turned out in droves to cheer them on. Flags and bunting were hung, band music played, donations of food, tobacco, socks, soap, fly veils, gum and boot laces were handed over, as were badges in blue and gold bearing the image of a kangaroo and the words "Wagga-Yass Route March" and "Off to Berlin, via Sydney". Joining the men on the march, then Member for Hume Robert Patten was in Wagga for the sendoff on 1st December 1915 of 88 recruits.

The route was from Wagga through Junee, Cootamundra, Wallendbeen, Nubba, Harden, Murrumburrah, Binalong, Bowning, Yass, Jerrawa, Gunning, Goulburn, Marulan, villages in the Southern Highlands, Picton and on to Sydney. They collected 222 men along the way.

Gallipoli had resulted in such mass loss of life that enlistments to the Great War had dropped. Of the recruitment marches set up in 1915, the Kangaroo March was the longest at 350 miles. From the back of a truck in Young on Saturday 4th December 1915, addressing a crowd of up to 600 people, recruiting officer Sergeant Coates yelled: "Are you going to fight for your mothers and your sisters? Examine your conscience and don't let it be sidetracked. Look me in the face."

On Sunday 12th December a contingent from Harden Murrumburrah joined the Kangaroos at Galong, where it was announced that numbers had reached the 200 mark, representing two recruits for every mile.

The generosity of locals along the way well and truly sustained the men. En route from Yass to Goulburn, they stopped a night in Gunning, camping at the park and after an evening meal viewed special pictures screened for them at Meldrum's Hall. At Yarra the locals supplied food for three meals and sheep for the food stores. On 23rd December the Kangaroos marched the remaining five miles from Yarra to Goulburn accompanied by the Bishop of Goulburn, Dean Radford. The men were granted three days leave for Christmas.

From Goulburn to Marulan, to Wingello and Bundanoon, the Kangaroos continued toward Sydney. But it was Robert Patten MP, known as Old Man Kangaroo because he had walked 300 miles with the men, who commented that the closer they got to Sydney, the weaker the response had become. To retain its rural character, no recruits were taken on after Campbelltown.

Arriving along Parramatta Road, down George Street and into Macquarie Street on Friday 7th January 1916, the men were greeted as heroes by the waiting crowds. The Daily Telegraph reported: "They came quietly, not cheering or exulting, not lording it over all, but as men of firm purpose and steady resolve." Many were recruited into the 55th Battalion, which was to arrive in France in 1916.

It is great news that a re-enactment of the Kangaroo March will be held in late 2015 and will be a significant part of WW1 centenary commemorations for our region. I urge schools, community organisations and individuals across Hume and along the original route to join in and support this community-driven event. The committee is putting the call out for any descendants of the Kangaroos to get in touch and to anyone who may know the whereabouts of the original banner presented to the Kangaroos in Yass.

Thankyou to co-author of The Kangaroo March (2006), Sherry Morris, for allowing me to quote extensively from her wonderful book. For further information please contact Sherry on 02 6922-9337. For more on the 2015 Kangaroo March Re-enactment, please contact Rhondda Vanzella OAM Vice-President, Kangaroo March Re-enactment Committee on 0427 019 754 or visit the website www.kangaroomarch.org

Angus Taylor