South Australian students are helping reclaim the stories of veterans whose service has faded from public memory, working alongside volunteers to restore recognition to those who served in World War I.
Year 9 students from St Mary’s College have spent the year partnering with The Headstone Project SA, a volunteer group dedicated to identifying unmarked graves of World War I veterans and ensuring they receive official military headstones. The collaboration, now in its third year, gives students a chance to take classroom history beyond textbooks and into a place where families and communities still feel the echoes of the past.
As part of their curriculum, the students research the lives of veterans buried at West Terrace Cemetery, produce commemorative booklets and attend ceremonies where newly installed headstones are unveiled. More than 200 students have taken part so far, uncovering the stories of 110 veterans, including 50 who had been resting in unmarked graves.
Their work will be on show today when students join descendants and members of the Headstone Project at a dedication ceremony honouring five South Australians. The group includes two nurses, Sister Christina Gordon McLean and Sister Isabella Louisa Parkinson, whose graves have gone without markers for more than a century. Christina served during Gallipoli and later in Egypt and France, while Isabella cared for soldiers at Keswick after losing two brothers in the war.
Three soldiers from the 27th Battalion are also being remembered. Private Arthur Thomas Anderson saw action in early 1917 before illness forced him home. Private Frederick Alfred Parker enlisted in 1918 and later served in the post-war period. Corporal William Ernest Ryan fought at Gallipoli and continued serving during the Western Front campaigns.
The Headstone Project estimates that more than 2,500 World War I veterans still lie in unmarked graves across South Australia’s cemeteries. The State Government has provided $60,000 over three years to support the group’s work, describing the project as a practical way of honouring service while strengthening connections between generations.
Employment Minister Joe Szakacs said the students’ involvement gives the veterans’ stories new life and helps preserve them for the future. John Brownlie, President of The Headstone Project SA, said the students’ commitment gives him confidence that the effort to recognise these veterans will continue long after current volunteers step back.
St Mary’s College Principal Heidi Senior said the partnership brings meaning to the study of history, giving students a chance to contribute to something that matters beyond the classroom.
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