NOTICE: Australian Railway Monument - request for Queensland

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The Australian Railway Monument, sited in Werris Creek, New South Wales, commemorates the memory of rail workers from throughout Australia who met their untimely deaths whilst in the course of their duties.
To date, there are 2100 names embossed  on the Memorial Walls from the State of New South Wales, and the Management Committee, ARM Management Inc., have a further 650 names received from Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania to be recognised on the Walls set aside for those States.
The State Governments of Victoria and Queensland have indicated to the Management Committee, that they lack accurate records of employees killed on duty, and have advised that their States will not undertake the task of employing consultants to perform research of names through Metropolitan and regional newspapers.
This is extremely disappointing as my committee has no other motives than to pay tribute to those who gave their lives on duty.
A group of volunteer rail workers from Seymour in Victoria are now  assisting the project and over the coming months are expected to bring to notice the names of  many employees from that State who will be embossed on the Australian Railway Monument.
We are seeking Queensland volunteers willing to give of their time to bring under notice those who have died in similar circumstances on Queensland Railways.
We require the full name of the employee, date of accident, brief description of the accident, and any other pertinent information.
This is a real and deeply moving tribute from the fellow workmates and friends of our late ?mates? and richly deserves the support of Governments and rail workers alike. It is not a promotion for the railway town of Werris Creek, it lies beyond interstate rivalry to have such a Monument, it is a sincere gesture of remembrance.
If you can assist in this wonderful project please contact; Mr Chris Holley or Mr Les Brown, ARM Management Inc., PO Box 43, Werris Creek NSW 2341 or phone (02) 6768 7929 ( Rail Journeys Museum) 10.00am to 4.00p0m, 7 days per week.
Thank You,
Chris Holley ? President ARM Management Inc.

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RAIL Back On Track congratulates Mr Chris Holley and the Australian Railway Monument on the award!

Well done!!!



RailCorp chief executive Vince Graham presents Chris Holley with an original Season Ticket die, containing details of the award for leadership and management.


Australian Railway Monument president wins prestigious heritage award

The president of the Australian Railway Monument and Rail Journeys Museum at Werris Creek has been presented with a prestigious heritage award from the NSW Office of Rail Heritage.

Chris Holley won the award in the category, ?Leadership, management and organisational development? at a function in Sydney on Tuesday evening, 31 July.

The award category recognises excellence in an individual or team responsible for the leadership, management or organisational development of a rail heritage volunteer-based organisation.

Speaking about his award, Chris Holley said it was a tribute to the team of volunteers at the museum and their ability to stick to the task.

?Although my name may be on the award certificate, in the background are people doing the work, including my wife Bev,? he said.

?I?m proud of him? said Bev. ?He puts a lot of work into the museum.?

Liverpool Plains Shire mayor, Ian Lobsey said he was pleased Chris had been recognised in this way.

?It?s great news, and a tribute to Chris and the volunteers at the Rail Journeys Museum?, he said.

?The award is a measure of Chris? ability to lead a team of volunteers?.

The Rail Journeys Museum tells the story of how the railways shaped Australia and operates in conjunction with the Australian Railway Monument. The monument commemorates the lives of railway workers from all states and territories throughout Australia who have lost their lives as a result of a work-related accident.

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National railway monument names withheld by two states

The Australian Railway Monument at Werris Creek, near Tamworth in NSW, is in desperate need of the names of railway workers from Queensland and Victoria who have been killed in an accident at work.

The Australian Railway Monument commemorates the lives of all railway workers throughout Australia killed in an accident at work or as a result of such an accident.

Monument president, Chris Holley, said Australia?s national railway monument could not be completed until the names of railway workers from all state sand territories had been submitted.

?The governments of both Queensland, and Victoria have thus far been reluctant to officially provide names, saying such provision would be regarded as a possible legality, ? he said.

? Because of the national significance of the Australian Railway Monument and the adjacent Rail Journeys Museum, we receive a constant stream of enquiries from concerned relatives as to why names from Queensland, and Victoria have not been received.

?As a result of this continued reluctance, we are now calling on relatives of railway workers desirous of having their loved ones names commemorated at the Australian Railway Monument.

?Information required would be the rail workers full name, date of birth, date and cause of death, occupation, location, and other relevant information.

Opened in October 2005, the Australian Railway Monument already has the names of over 2000 NSW rail workers inscribed on its commemorative walls.

Names from other states and the Northern Territory are being provided on a regular basis.

The award-winning Australian Railway Monument along with the adjacent Rail Journeys Museum, located in the Werris Creek Railway Station, attracts over 1000 visitors a month.

Werris Creek boasts the third largest railway station building in NSW.

ENDS            Ref: ARM070905/2      5 September 2007
Media contact: Chris Holley, chairman T: 02 6768 7464   M: 0429 383 152

Pic: Fireman-Driver statue, and commemorative wall at the Australian Railway Monument, Werris Creek.

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RAIL Back On Track - Media Release 8 September 2007

Queensland:  Queensland Government Ignores the Australian Railway Monument.

RAIL ? Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community organisation for the promotion of rail throughout Australia has called on the Queensland Government to give the proper and solemn respect and accede to the simple requirement to supply the names of deceased railway workers for the Australian Railway Monument.

Robert Dow said:

?The Australian Railway Monument at Werris Creek  needs the names of railway workers from Queensland who have been killed in an accident at work, so that proper respect and recognition may be afforded to the deceased.?

?The Australian Railway Monument commemorates the lives of all railway workers throughout Australia killed in an accident at work or died as a result of such an accident.?

?Monument president, Chris Holley, has said that Australia?s national railway monument could not be completed until the names of railway workers from all states and territories had been submitted.?

?The only Governments that have not cooperated are the Victorian and Queensland Government.?

?Many enquiries are received at the Monument from concerned relatives as to why there are no names from Queensland and Victoria?.

?RAIL Back On Track calls for the Queensland Government to join with the other states and supply the Australian Railway Monument with the names of the deceased.?


Reference:

1.  http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=100.0

Contact:

Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track
http://backontrack.org

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The Brisbane Sunday Mail (September 9) has published an opinion piece supporting the ARM.
Well done Sunday Mail and Mr Sweetman!

Full story here!

QR derails tribute to fallen workers
Article from: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
By Terry Sweetman

MAYBE hormones kicked in a bit later in those days, but a schoolboy fantasy-come-true for me was to sit in the driver's cabin of the Eden-Monaro Express as it sped down the tracks between Sydney and Cooma.
The driver was a distant uncle memorable for his laconic observation as we came across some trackwork that it was fairly common for drivers to clean up a gang of fettlers if they didn't keep their wits about them.

Even in the late 1950s or early '60s, railway work was pretty dangerous.

It was historically a fairly risky trade, the perils of which have diminished with a modern emphasis on workplace safety.

But thousands of men did pay with their lives to run the trains that were the lifeblood of an emerging country.

The debt has been recognised with the Australian Railway Monument in the historic New South Wales town of Werris Creek.

The NSW Government kicked in with $1.3 million to build the national monument, on which are engraved a staggering 2200 names of those who died on that state's rail system. More than 600 names have been added from the fatality lists of South Australia and Western Australia. There is a scattering from Tasmania and 10 from the Territory.

But there are none from Victoria or Queensland, to the distress of the banana-benders who call in at the monument each month.

Why? Victoria and Queensland can't supply the names of those who died on their networks.

The monument's Chris Holley asked for help in 2004 and ? 15 months later ? received from Queensland Transport Minister Paul Lucas's office a list of heritage achievements and an even longer list of reasons why it couldn't help with an honour roll.

It seems Queensland Rail maintains employee cards dating back to the 1880s but the "research/identification of workers' details on these cards would be a resource-intensive task, requiring an inordinate amount of time.

"Furthermore, a comprehensive listing of QR employees fatally injured during employment could not be guaranteed, as the reason for the fatality has not been documented on staff records on a regular basis. The only way to source data would be to go through all the history cards, microfilm and the electronic personnel system.

"Even this would not give an accurate indication, as the policy was not to put the reason for the demise on the card."

And: "The personnel file would show the reason but the files are only retained for 70 years from the date of birth so even this would only give a partial record."

It seems that QR inefficiency is not a new invention and that former railway employees become something of non-persons when they hit 70.

I wouldn't underestimate the difficulty of compiling a list of those who died ? or even a partial list ? but NSW did its best with the help of $180,000 for consultants to trawl through the files.

And that list grows as historical groups and others supply names from local newspapers and other sources. Spurned by QR, the monument organisers asked for help from the Queensland branch of the Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union and didn't even receive a reply. That's solidarity for you.

Politicians just about fell over themselves last month to support the Police Pride March and to pay homage to the 28 Queensland officers who have been killed while on duty. And so they should.

But the same people can't find the time or the money to even begin to find out who died on the railways.

However, they can find $900,000 to fund a new history of Queensland by Professor Ross Fitzgerald.

Our history is important, but an honour roll for rail workers deserves to be part of it.

From: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22383637-5012447,00.html

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Australian Railway Monument wins prestigious award

The Australian Railway Monument and Museum at Werris Creek has won a prestigious award in the category of Excellence in Local Government Property, at the Australian Property Institute gala function at the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel in Sydney, on Thursday evening.

Liverpool Plains Shire Council mayor, Ian Lobsey, in accepting the award said he did so, on behalf of 42 aged volunteers.

?These volunteers, in the twilight of their years, have found a reason to follow their dream by conserving and preserving the stories, and history of rail throughout Australia?, he said.

Museum president, Chris Holley, said it was a great honour to receive such a prestigious award.

?Not only on behalf of 42 volunteers, but also for Werris Creek to be recognised by the Australian Property Institute award?, he said.

The award citation reads:
Opened in October 2005, the Australian Railway Monument and Museum is a unique national cultural facility, and the only one in Australia that recognises the contribution of those who lost their lives in contributing to the development of the national rail system in Australia.

The project was a grassroots, community-based project that relied on the work of volunteers from the local community, with 42 volunteers continuing to work at the facility.

The judges were impressed with the participation of the community and the revitalization of the site. Tour coaches are now stopping at Werris Creek and this is reflected in the 1100 visitors per month the museum receives. This has made a valuable contribution to the local economy.

At the awards evening, the Australian Railway Monument and Museum also received a highly commended Heritage Property Award, sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank.

The MC at the function was Peter Berner, well-known ABC identity.

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National, state, and territory flags raised at Australian Railway Monument ceremony

The importance of the Australian Railway Monument at Werris Creek, as a national entity, will be further enhanced in January when a flag raising ceremony will unfurl a total of 11 flags.

The flags include the Australian National Flag, all state flags, both territory flags, along with the Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander flags will become a feature of the Australian Railway Monument, Werris Creek, in January.

The flag raising ceremony will be held at 10:30am, Wednesday 23 January, at the amphitheatre of the Australian Railway Monument.

The 7.5m (25ft) flagpoles will be located in a semi-circular pattern at the Monument amphitheatre.

President of ARM Management Inc., Chris Holley said each and every flag underlines the importance the Australian Railway Monument as a truly Australian monument.

?In keeping with the role and function of the monument, the eleven flags represent the part each Australian state and territory, played in building the railways of the nation?, he said.

?All flags have been donated by federal, state, and territory governments, along with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations. The flagpoles have been erected by Liverpool Plains Shire Council, at Quirindi.

?With well over 1000 visitors a month, at both the monument and nearby Rail Journeys Museum, we find that many people come from every state and territory of Australia, as well as overseas.

?ARM Management Inc. are indebted to New England North West Group Training, under the management of Graham Grant, for their generosity, and the part they played in the provision of the flagpoles, and their transportation to Werris Creek.?

New England North West Group Training, is a division of Hunter Valley Training Company (HVTC) one of this country?s leading group training companies.

During their first twenty five years of operation, 15,000 young Australians have undertaken apprenticeships and traineeships and participated in training within the Company, its Divisions and Subsidiaries.

The Australian Railway Monument, opened in 2005, commemorates the lives of all railway workers throughout Australia, who lost their lives as a result of an accident on the job.

The adjacent Rail Journeys Museum tells the story of how the railways shaped Australia.

ENDS            Ref: ARM07/12/16      16 Dec 2007

Media contact:
Chris Holley, Chairman T: 02 6768 7464      M: 0429 383 152
New England North West Group Training T: 02 67626755 or E: nenwgt@hvtc.com.au



Photo information:
Eleven flags atop 7.5m flagpoles will become a feature of the foreground of the Australian Railway Monument at Werris Creek.

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Australian Railway Monument Pays Tribute To Those Who Gave Their Lives In Line Of Duty
Tamworth, Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Independent State Member for Tamworth, Peter Draper, today congratulated all associated with the Australian Railway Monument at Werris Creek, including its wonderful group of volunteers for reaching yet another milestone in its ongoing development.

?Eleven flag poles were commissioned to display the national, state, territory, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags, adding to the Monument?s national role, and paying tribute to those who gave their lives in service to the countries railway systems,? Mr Draper said.

Mr Draper joined Chris Holley from the Australian Railway Monument, Federal Member Tony Windsor, Luke Donnellan, Parliamentary Secretary to Victorian Premier John Brumby, along with volunteers, local residents and other rail enthusiasts, to watch former NSW Transport Minister, Milton Morris, perform the dedication and flag raising ceremony at the historic Werris Creek station. In his speech remembering those who payed the supreme sacrifice, Mr Draper shared the stories of two local rail employees who both died in accidents at the Ardglen tunnel.

?Fireman John Smith is buried in Werris Creek cemetery. He was scalded to death at the age of 26 when the engine he was working (T727 ? later 5097) primed (boiling water foams through the steam engines funnel), while passing through the tunnel on 27th November 1909,? Mr Draper said.

?In 1926, fireman Herbert Heffernan and his driver Thomas Holt were overcome by fumes, heat and gases in the tunnel and passed out on the footplate of a 53 class engine. The train raced out of control downhill towards Willow Tree and the tender on the engine derailed near milepost 227, overturning and killing fireman Heffernan in the process,? he said.

?It is fitting that these men will be remembered, along with many others from around Australia, at this wonderful monument here in Werris Creek,? Mr Draper said.

?Following my representations to Premier Iemma to enlist the support of Queensland Premier Anna Blight and Victorian Premier John Brumby in providing the names of deceased railway workers for inclusion in the memorial, I was very encouraged that Luke Donnellan MP travelled from Victoria to represent Premier Brumby at the ceremony,? he said.

?It is also important that we encourage local people and our friends outside the region to visit the monument, as there are many Australians who have forbears who worked on the railways plus rail enthusiasts who will be interested in visiting Werris Creek to pay their respects,? Mr Draper concluded.




Photo - Luke Donnellan MP (Member for Narre Warren North in Victoria and Parliamentary Secretary to John Brumby, Victorian Premier), Hon Milton Morris (Special Guest - Former NSW Minister for Transport & Chair Hunter Valley Training Co), Chris Holley (Australian Rail Monument), David Screen (Rail Heritage Office), Marianne Hammerton (Chief Executive Officer - Rail Heritage NSW), Tony Windsor MP, Ian Lobsey (Mayor, Liverpool Plains Shire Council) and Peter Draper MP. Photo by courtesy Don Porter, Quirindi Advocate.

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ARM Media Release  23 Jan 2008         

Nation?s flags fly high at Werris Creek

The national significance of the Australian Railway Monument at Werris Creek was further realised on Wednesday when the eleven flags of Australia were unfurled at a flag raising ceremony.

Monument president, Chris Holley, said the eleven flag poles were erected to fly the Australian flag, the flags of the eight states and territories, plus the Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander flags, highlighting the national significance and importance of the award-winning Australian Railway Monument.

?It was very encouraging to welcome such a large group of dignitaries, particularly Luke Donnellan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier of Victoria?, he said.

Dignitaries included Tony Windsor, Federal Member for New England; Peter Draper, State Member for Tamworth, representatives from Hunter Valley Training Company, Liverpool Plains Shire Council, Gunnedah Shire Council, BHP-Billiton, the Office of Rail Heritage, and the Aboriginal community.

The flag raising ceremony, with the help of volunteers, was performed by former New South Wales Transport Minister, the Hon. Milton Morris, chairman of Hunter Valley Training Company Pty Ltd, before a number of invited dignitaries, and a crowd of about 80 people.

Mr Morris said Hunter Valley Training Company had formed 12 divisions throughout NSW from the Illawarra to the Queensland border.

?We?re there to provide training in an endeavour to stop young people going to the bigger cities,? he said.
The first flag to be raised was the Australian National flag, to the tune of the National Anthem, followed by the flags of NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, along with the Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander flags.

Apologies were received from numerous dignitaries throughout Australia, including the premiers of NSW, Queensland, Tasmania; and Western Australia, as well as the chief minister of the ACT.

The flagpoles were provided and erected by New England North-West Training Group, a division of the Hunter Valley Training Company Pty Ltd.

The Australian Railway Monument pays tribute to railway workers from throughout Australia who lost their lives on the job.

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At least QR has supported the ARM.  Where is the Queensland Government?

ARM Media Release 28 September 2008

Queensland Rail supports work of Australian Railway Monument, Werris Creek

The work of establishing a centre for folklore relating to Australian Railway Workers, in recognising the contribution of Queensland railway workers, will receive a boost in October with the assistance of Queensland Rail Ltd at the Australian Railway Monument at Werris Creek, near Tamworth, in New South Wales.

Monument chairman, Chris Holley, said the support was a strong indication of the respect that the Australian Railway Monument (ARM) has gained among state and territory governments throughout Australia.

?It?s a feather in our cap?, he said.

QR Ltd is providing a small display at the ARM on the Labor Day Long Weekend in NSW (4-6 October), that will highlight the contribution of its railway family over the past 143 years of QR's existence, and its ongoing transition as a national leader in the rail industry.

This will include a photo exhibition relating the story of the southern line in Queensland, and the days of the Great Northern interstate railway through Werris Creek to Armidale and Wallan-garra, DVD slideshows from QR's railway centenary community events, recognising the connection of railway to towns, in Queensland, and special storyboards relating to the people side of QR over the years.

The display will form part of the Werris Creek Festival.

A special commemorative plaque will also be unveiled at the event to recognise the importance of QR, and its people, in the story of the Australian railways.

Mr Holley said the Australian Railway Monument is a national icon commemorating the lives of rail workers throughout Australia, who lost their lives as a result of an accident on the job.

?Now that spring is here, attendance figures are very satisfying?, he said.

?We?re maintaining and exceeding expectations?.

The Australian Railway Monument and the associated Rail Journeys Museum are open seven days a week from 10.00am to 4.00pm.

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From the Melbourne Age click here!

Monument to mark horror of railways

Monument to mark horror of railways
Clay Lucas
May 25, 2011 - 11:59AM

Archibald Patterson survived the Western Front in France and Belgium with only a sprained ankle and deafness in one ear, his records in the National Archives of Australia show.

But at age 35, having lived through the horrors of World War I, the former 59th Battalion solder was to die building the nation's railways.

Patterson, a "ganger" on the railways, laying sleepers and rails, was killed in the West Melbourne yards in December 1926, after he got the heel of his boot caught in rails when a truck was approaching.
Advertisement: Story continues below

Just as Australia remembers its war dead, those who lost their lives building the country's railways are remembered, at the Australian Railway Monument in Werris Creek, New South Wales, near Tamworth.

The monument includes a roll-call of employees killed while working on railways across Australia.

Since 2005 each state has provided the names of those killed to the monument, except Victoria and Queensland.

Victoria's Department of Transport so far has the names of 100 people, like Patterson, whose families have nominated them for inclusion on the monument.

But the department believes there could be around 1000 Victorians who have lost their lives while building the state's railways since the first rail line opened in 1854, and whose names should appear on the monument.

A high proportion of the deaths the department has on record occurred in shunting accidents or involved railway workers being hit by passing trains.

Archibald Patterson's son, also named Archibald, lives in a nursing home in Benalla. He barely remembers his dad.

"I was only four years old when he died," he says. "He went right through the war and never got hurt, and then died working on the rails."

For the Patterson family though, having the 1926 incident remembered is important.

Members of the public with details of family or friends killed while on duty on Victorian railways should go to www.transport.vic.gov.au/history for more information about the project, and to register.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/monument-to-mark-horror-of-railways-20110525-1f3el.html