Thurgoona Community Centre was filled with more than just the aroma of fresh scones and tea; it was filled with a profound sense of gratitude and connection. On this 24th of April, we gathered for our very first ANZAC Morning Tea, bringing together familiar faces from the Mates Morning Tea, the Ladies Chit Chat, and the TCC Social Club.
The event was a wonderful testament to our vibrant community, made possible by the hard work of our volunteers and staff and the ongoing support from AlburyCity.
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Special Guests Reflect on Service and Sacrifice
We were incredibly fortunate to welcome back our guest speaker who has deep roots in our soil: Greg Aplin. For many of us, Greg is a familiar face—not just as our former State Member of Parliament for 16 years, but as a local dad whose children attended the Thurgoona Primary School.
Before his time in politics, Greg was a cornerstone of regional media, managing AMV4 (which later became Prime Television) and spending two decades in regional TV across Orange, Wollongong, and Albury. Greg briefly noted his own military service, having completed National Service in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the 1970s at the height of a terrorist war.
Giving Names to the Numbers: The Aplin Research
While Greg reflected on the importance of those who serve to protect our nation’s safety, the heart of his address focused on a remarkable project undertaken by his wife, Jill Aplin.
For years, the Thurgoona Honor Roll has held a prominent place in our Community Hall, yet many of the names etched into it remained a mystery. While a few local families held onto personal memories, many of these soldiers had become “unremembered” over the passing century.
In mid-2024, Jill set out to change that. Starting with the Memorial Board at St John’s Anglican Church, her research expanded to cover every man who left Thurgoona in the early 1900s to serve in the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF).
A Legacy in Print:Thanks to Jill’s dedication, we now have a booklet of mini-biographies. These stories were pieced together using:
• Australian War Memorial records
• Family reminiscences and ancestry archives
• Electoral Rolls and Birth, Death, and Marriage records
• The Thurgoona Public School archives (a treasure trove for old photographs!)
These biographies may be “incomplete” in a historical sense, but they are a massive leap forward in helping us understand the real men behind the names—the sons, brothers, and fathers who once walked these same streets.
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Community Connections
Events like today remind us that we aren’t just a collection of residents; we are a community with a shared history. If you were inspired by today’s gathering and want to get more involved or learn more about our programs, the staff at TCC are here to help.
You can get in touch by ringing 6043 1588 or by visiting our website for more information.
As we move toward ANZAC Day tomorrow, we carry with us the stories Greg and Jill shared—ensuring that the names on our walls are never just names again, but remembered heroes of Thurgoona.
Lest we forget.
(Text assisted with Ai)
If you would like to know more about our programs mentioned, visit these pages
TCC Social Club
Modern Cooking Sessions
Mates Morning Tea
