43-742: The Cane Beetles March was a snowball march in April 1916 in North Queensland , Australia, to recruit men into the Australian Imperial Force during World War I at a time when enthusiasm to enlist had waned after the loss of life in the Gallipoli campaign . The march began at Mooliba on 20 April 1916 with 4 men and ended in Cairns 60 kilometers later with 29 recruits. Following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 4 August 1914, Australia and
86-535: A banner was made showing the German Kaiser running away from a swarm of beetles, which appears to be the origin of the name of the march. However, the Gordonvale Recruiting Committee disliked the name due to their being a pest, but decided they were prepared to overlook the name in order to focus on "the brave fellows who have responded to the call of duty and are going forth to fight the battles of
129-534: A country contingent could be created. There were reports of rowdy and drunken behaviour along the route by the marchers. The best known recruit from this march was John Ryan , who was awarded the Victoria Cross . 'Maitlands Own' Battalion, the 34th , was formed from a core of men who had commenced a recruitment march at Narrabri on 8 December 1915 and finished in Newcastle on 8 January 1916. Forty-three men began
172-605: A feature of volunteer recruiting drives for the Australian Imperial Force in rural Australia . Between October 1915 and February 1916, nine marches were held starting from various points in the state; the most notable was the first march from Gilgandra , New South Wales , known as the Cooee march. The March of the Dungarees took place in south-eastern Queensland in November 1915. In 1918, in an effort to promote recruitment, another march
215-603: A fine speech, followed by cheers for the King and Empire. There was another large reception at Mount Sophia where the Beetles were entertained at Mrs O'Byrne's place with speeches and patriotic songs. At arrival at Aloomba at 5.20pm, the volunteers were escorted by the townspeople to a public reception. That night the Beetles were the guests of Mrs O'Reagan at her Aloomba Hotel. Four volunteers joined at Aloomba. The Beetles left Aloomba at noon on Saturday 22 April and reached Gordonvale Bridge in
258-585: A splendid repast, completed with toasts and a stirring speech by Mr C Butler. In the afternoon, there was a rugby match between the Beetles and the Edmonton team, ending in a nil-all draw. In the evening the Beetles were entertained at both of Edmonton's hotels. Two recruits joined from Green Hill and three recruits joined from Edmonton. On Tuesday 25 April ( Anzac Day ) the Beetles were presented with tobacco and cigarettes before departing Edmonton at 9.35am. The volunteers were met on arrival at Woree by Mr G R Mayers,
301-701: The Australian Imperial Force during World War I at a time when enthusiasm to enlist had waned after the loss of life in the Gallipoli campaign . The march began at Mooliba near Babinda with 4 men and ended in Cairns 60 kilometres later with 29 recruits. Seventy one men left Parkes by train on 19 January 1916. They marched from Daroobalgie to Donaghey’s Hill, and then on to Forbes , Yamma Station, Eugowra , Gooloogong , Canowindra , Billimari , Cowra , Woodstock , Lyndhurst , Carcoar , Blayney , Newbridge (to Georges Plains by train) and Perthville . They arrived in Bathurst with 202 recruits on 5 February 1916 at
344-793: The Coral Sea and is located approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Cairns . Sourced by runoff from the Bellenden Ker Range , the headwaters of the Mulgrave River rise as the east and west branches of the river below South Peak and west of Babinda respectively. The two branches form their confluence within the Wooroonooran National Park and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area . The Mulgrave River flows generally north towards Little Mulgrave and through
387-697: The Gallipoli Campaign and thousands more were wounded. Although Australian troops were withdrawn from Gallipoli by 20 December 1915, more recruits were needed in the Middle East and on the Western Front . The Cane Beetles March appears to have been the initiative of the Cairns Recruiting Committee. At that time, cane beetles were a major pest in the sugar industry in North Queensland and
430-509: The Military Medal four times. The majority of recruits who enlisted during the march later formed the 4th reinforcements of the 55th Battalion, AIF, all of which saw service on the Western front. Of the 144 men who enlisted in the march, 39 were later to be killed in action and 75 became casualties. The Men from Snowy River recruitment march was revived during World War II when men retraced
473-520: The South Coast : Nowra , Bomaderry , Meroo, Berry , Gerringong , Kiama , Jamberoo , Albion Park , Dapto , Unanderra , Port Kembla , Wollongong , Balgownie , Corrimal , Woonona , Bulli , Thirroul , Coledale , Scarborough , Stanwell Park , Helensburgh , Heathcote , Sutherland , Hurstville , Kogarah , Rockdale , arriving at The Domain . The contingent included men from Jervis Bay and Kangaroo Valley even though these towns were not on
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#1732859202494516-544: The Western District to Melbourne , a distance of about 245 miles, was planned in 1916. It is not certain if this proceeded. A 1918 recruitment march from Albury via Yass to Sydney. The march stopped at 12 towns but the 'marchers' travelled by train. There was a 'march to freedom' recruiting march in Brisbane in November 1918. The 1918 march, from Edithburgh, South Australia to Adelaide , raised 170 men just before
559-561: The Beetles marched out of Gordonvale, accompanied by the Gordonvale band to the outskirts of the town, where they were farewelled with more speeches. They left with a gift of a case of beer from Mr Lancester of the Queen's Hotel. Arriving at McKinnon's Bridge at 12.20pm, the volunteers were escorted into Edmonton with musical accompaniment. A public reception was held at the Edmonton Hall followed by
602-629: The Beetles were entertained at the Nelson Hotel and at the movies. On Sunday 23 April ( Easter Sunday ), the Beetles spent the day in Gordonvale. In the morning the volunteers conducted a drill and in the afternoon paid visits by motorcar to the farms of the Messrs Cannon, Bastin and Alley, where they were royally entertained at each place. Then there was a parade to the Presbyterian Church. Six volunteers joined at Gordonvale. On Monday 24 April,
645-677: The Beetles were served with milk and cake by Mr and Mr Healy, followed by lavish refreshments at Mr J. Hill's place. Lunch was served in a large pavilion at Ross's farm including 75 pounds of fresh fish from the Russell River followed by the usual toasts. On arrival at McDonald's Creek, the Kerrs provided refreshment and the volunteers saluted a Union Jack that had been through the Boer War . Arriving at Fishery Creek , local residents welcomed them with entertainment at Mr Thompson's place with Mr Booker making
688-460: The Empire and to uphold liberty, freedom and justice". The route for the march was from Mooliba via Babinda , Aloomba , Gordonvale, and Edmonton to Cairns. At Mooliba on Thursday 20 April, there were four volunteers to commence the march under the leadership of Sergeant Bloom. There was an enthusiastic send-off with many speeches made. The party reached Babinda at 5.25 p.m. and were greeted there by
731-733: The Kookaburras are remembered for sleeping on the floor of the Capertee school. There is a veteran's plaque on the Tooraweenah village common. Twenty seven men left Grafton on 18 January 1916 and arrived at Maitland with 240 recruits. The march was accompanied by Bill Hitchen who had organised the original Snowball march of the Cooees. The Cane Beetles March was a snowball march in April 1916 in North Queensland , Australia, to recruit men into
774-489: The Russell River, the Mulgrave River has a well-recorded flood history with documented evidence of flooding beginning in the late 19th century. Freshwater stonefish and crocodiles are found in the river, so caution is advised if swimming in the river. The pest fish tilapia have been discovered in the river and have been the target of eradication efforts. Yidinji (also known as Yidinj , Yidiny , and Idindji )
817-578: The Western Front gallery at the Australian War Memorial), the recruitment march passed through the major regional centres of the Monaro , with civil receptions at Bombala , Cooma , Queanbeyan , Bungendore and Goulburn. Although volunteers joined the 'Snowies' as they passed through smaller towns and villages, massive civil receptions at the larger centres celebratised the 'Snowy' recruits, which
860-565: The assistance England had received from the dominions in defending the British Empire, decided make a peace thanks-giving gift of £1,200 to the town in the Empire with a good church and wartime service record. The money was to be used to construct an Anglican church. Gilgandra was selected by the Bournemouth church authorities as the recipient of the peace and thanks-giving gift in December 1919 and
903-777: The chairman of the Cairns Shire Council , where one final recruit joined the marchers. The Beetles arrived in Cairns by 2pm with a total of 29 recruits. The volunteers then marched in the Anzac Day parade in Cairns. Only 9 of the recruits were declared fit for military duty. In 2016 as part of the First World War Centenary , Innisfail Canegrowers organised an re-enactment of the 63-kilometre (39 mi) march. Snowball marches During World War I , recruitment marches or snowball marches to state capital cities were
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#1732859202494946-624: The construction of St Ambrose Church in Gilgandra commenced in 1920. The March of the Dungarees in south-east Queensland started with 28 men leaving Warwick on 16 November 1915. Their march followed the Southern railway line , making its way through Allora , Clifton , Greenmount , Cambooya , Toowoomba , Helidon , Gatton , Laidley , Rosewood , Ipswich and Oxley . The 270 kilometre march ended in Brisbane with 125 recruits. Men marched from
989-590: The east and west branches of the river, the river descends 665 metres (2,182 ft) over a combined 78-kilometre (48 mi) course . The river is crossed by the Bruce Highway south of Gordonvale via the Desmond Trannore Bridge . Gold was discovered in the river in the 1870s, bringing considerable change to the Goldsborough Valley. Gravel is now extracted from the riverbed. Together with
1032-563: The forces fighting at Gallipoli . This target was exceeded in Victoria when 21,698 men enlisted in that month, the largest number from any state during the war. The campaign in New South Wales by contrast was disappointing for state leaders — especially so in light of interstate rivalry between the two neighbours. It was suggested by the Premier of New South Wales , William Holman , that one of
1075-485: The march and 281 miles later there were 265 new recruits. A re-enactment of the march was held on the 75th anniversary in 1990/1991. Following the successes of the 'Cooee' march in December 1915, 12 men set out from Delegate on 6 January 1916 to march the 220 miles to the nearest AIF Training Depot in Goulburn (currently the site of Goulburn High School ). Marching under the 'Men from Snowy River' banner (now housed in
1118-480: The massive media attention the recruitment march received in the local press, the end result of 144 recruits was disappointing to recruiting staff who had envisaged at least 200 men. One recruit who did join the march was Ernest Albert Corey , a blacksmith from Nimmitabel . Corey later served with the 55th Battalion as a stretcher bearer, and is recognised as the only soldier in the British Empire to be awarded
1161-469: The men, and the marches gained tremendous publicity. About 1,500 men marched in total, and they are credited by some sources with persuading anywhere from two to three times that number to enlist as a result. Twenty six men left Gilgandra on 10 October 1915 on the 'Cooee March', led by the captain of the local rifle club, William Thomas Hitchen . At each town on the route the marchers shouted " cooee " to attract recruits and held recruitment meetings. By
1204-572: The mid-afternoon where they were met by the townspeople including the rifle club, cadets, school children and Gordonvale band. The volunteers had a swim in the Mulgrave River . Then an arge procession was formed to march to Gordonvale Park, where members of the Gordonvale Recruiting Committee delivered speeches. A Red Cross social was held in the evening and the volunteers were presented with cigarettes and tobacco. Later that evening
1247-614: The original path of the 'Snowies', albeit diverting to Canberra. Both recruitment marches were commemorated by a reenactment of the march and a civil reception at the hall at Delegate in January 2006, on the 90th anniversary of the original Men from Snowy River march. Twenty three men set out in January 1916 from Tooraweenah on a march to Bathurst to recruit men for service in World War I. Men were recruited from Coolah , Mendooran and Dunedoo , Binnaway , Merrygoen and Tucklan. En route,
1290-885: The other members of the British Empire were also at war. The first Australian to perish on the Western Front was Lieutenant William Malcolm Chisholm of the Lancashire Regiment , who died in the Battle of Le Cateau in France on 26 August 1914. Closer to home, Australian troops secured German New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago in September–October 1914. Australians landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey on 25 April 1915. By October 1915, Australia had lost 7,279 men in
1333-597: The outskirts of Gordonvale and flows through the Goldsborough Valley . From Gordonvale the river flows east by south and then south where the Mulgrave River empties into the Coral Sea 30 kilometres (19 mi) south at the southern extremity of the Yarrabah Hills range where the Mulgrave meets the Russell River . The Trinity Inlet was once the river mouth of the Mulgrave River. Volcanic activity that resulted in
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1376-434: The reasons New South Wales was not meeting the targets was because the military authorities were not ready to accept the men at the time they offered to enlist and told them to come back later. In response to these embarrassing recruitment shortfalls, some New South Wales residents launched a series of snowball recruiting marches, which were intended to encourage men to enlist through the marchers' example. The first march
1419-542: The rise of Green Hill in the Mulgrave Valley blocked the river from entering the sea near present-day Cairns. However, further research has shown river sediments above the basalt flows and it is now believed that other factors such as alluvial sediments may have altered the river's course and that perhaps it has alternated between the two mouths over time. The river has a catchment area of 1,315 square kilometres (508 sq mi). From source to mouth, incorporating
1462-574: The route. The Waratahs entered camp at Liverpool on 17 December 1915. Eighty eight potential soldiers left Wagga Wagga on 1 December 1915. They marched via Harefield , Junee , Illabo , Bethungra , Cootamundra and Wallendbeen . At Wallendbeen on 9 December, the Governor-General addressed the marchers. After Wallendbeen, they marched via Nubba to Murrumburrah and the next day they were at Harden . They then marched through Galong , Binalong and Bowning to Yass . From Wagga Wagga to Yass
1505-523: The same time as the Kookaburras from Tooraweenah and were given a combined reception. Each marcher was presented with a medallion in the shape of a boomerang , engraved with their name and town and the words "Come Back". On the Light Horse memorial at Cowra, a plaque commemorates the re-enactment of the 1916 Boomerang march held in February 1999. A "snowball" march of recruits from Casterton, Victoria in
1548-711: The time they reached Sydney just over one month later on 12 November, the numbers had swelled to 263 recruits, marching a total of 320 miles (510 km) and being welcomed by large crowds along the way. During the march, the Cooees were issued about 50 dungarees in Dubbo , Army greatcoats in Orange and some additional dungarees in Lithgow. After the close of World War I, parishioners of St Ambrose Church in Bournemouth , England, grateful for
1591-532: The townspeople and school children. After speeches of welcome, the party were entertained at Mrs Whittaker's boarding house, followed by a social gathering at the Babinda Hall. Nine more volunteers joined The Beetles at Babinda. On Friday 21 April ( Good Friday ), the volunteers left Babinda and marched for four miles through heavy rain (Babinda is known as one of the wettest places in Australia ). At Bellenden Ker ,
1634-591: The war’s end. Colonel Charles Butler, who'd fought on the Western Front, volunteered to raise 500 fighting men, but despite an enthusiastic response only 170 men enlisted. Mulgrave River The Mulgrave River , incorporating the East Mulgrave River and the West Mulgrave River , is a river system in Far North Queensland , Australia. The 70-kilometre (43 mi)-long river flows towards
1677-479: Was a locally based initiative led by the captain of the local Rifle Club in October 1915; eight other marches were known to have taken place over the next four months. Military authorities were initially ambivalent about the marches; they were not certain whether or not the men should march with rifles, when their pay would start, and who would clothe or feed them. Along the route however, local communities fed and housed
1720-599: Was a total of 132 miles, the march travelled at an average of 8.8 miles per day. As with other marches, the men were fed and feted by the local population; at Murrumburrah, for instance, donations included 114 puddings and 9 sheep to be baked gratis by the local bakers, 200 loaves of bread, 850 potatoes and 30 dozen eggs. They marched to Campbelltown via Goulburn . The Kangaroo recruits travelled from Campbelltown into Sydney by train arriving on 7 January 1916 with somewhere between 210 and 230 recruits. It had been decided that this recruitment drive would finish at Campbelltown so that
1763-461: Was formed promptly on the declaration of World War I as a volunteer force; many men signed up immediately. From mid-June 1915 there was a substantial increase in recruitment, as state-based Parliamentary recruiting committees were formed and became active in towns, boroughs and shires. In June 1915 the Minister for Defence George Pearce set recruitment goals at 5,300 men per month in order to maintain
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1806-593: Was intended to entice further 'eligibles' at the meetings to do likewise. Such was the case with recruit Timothy McMahon, who despite volunteering to march with the Men from Snowy River at Michelago , was employed by recruiting staff to dramatically 'volunteer' at several of these receptions in order to appeal to the patriotism of the crowd, and lure other volunteers into enlisting. The Men from Snowy River recruitment march arrived in Goulburn on 28 January 1916 144 men strong. Despite
1849-418: Was staged, but this was less spontaneous and the marchers in fact travelled by train. The marches were called "snowball marches" in the hope that like a snowball rolling down a hill will pick up more snow, gaining more mass and surface area, and picking up even more snow as it rolls along, the marchers would also collect more marchers as they progressed to the recruiting depot. The Australian Imperial Force
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