The Honour Board is made from local red gum timber, which was provided by Mal and Maree Dinning.  It was important to the Committee that the timber be from both the same area and land where the soldiers and their families lived and worked.  The tree would have been standing when these men marched to war.

The process of picking out the timber involved a trip to Mal and Maree’s hill top property one hot January morning,  and then into Mal’s store of timber. A lot of different woods and colours were considered, but in the end it had to be the red gum.  At this stage, they were rough planks of wood, but the colour and beauty of the timber could be seen.

It had been decided that all the work needed to be completed by local tradespeople. This is again in keeping with the era. Mal delivered the timber to Quentin Pfalert at Eucalypt Woodworks in Milawa and the dream began to take shape. Designing the Board was straightforward, it needed to be large enough to hold the names and be a simple, yet evocative style in keeping with the era it represents. The design started with a few rough sheets of paper but it took shape quickly.

Quentin completed the work on the Board, before Dean from Riverland Restorations put the final spray coat on. It was then ready to have the all important names placed on it. The beautiful gold leaf lettering was completed by Chris and Emma Shanley of Shanley’s Signs and the Board was ready for its home at the Greta-Hansonville Hall.

The work was completed by local tradespeople and companies, it is a credit to them.

The most important day, other than the unveiling, was the day that the Honour Board was hung in its permanent spot in the Greta Hansonville Hall Supper room. The Honour Board is large and heavy and required timing and effort. It was a special moment to see it go up on the wall, in particular for Bill McMonigle, who had worked all the way through the process of making the Board. Bill’s father is Robert John (Jack) McMonigle and is named on the Board.

A huge debt of thanks goes to Mal and Maree Dinning, who not only provided the timber at no cost, but also sponsored the entire Honour Board.  This generous donation allowed the Committee  to present this magnificent piece of work to the Community. It now has pride of place at the Greta Hansonville Hall for all to see.