THE Boer War marks an important chapter in Orange’s history and it’s about time it received the recognition it deserves says Orange councillor Reg Kidd speaking at Sunday’s commemorative service in Robertson Park.
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Cr Kidd said the Boer War is often referred to as the forgotten war and there’s not a memorial in Canberra to honour those who lost their lives fighting in it.
“The Boer War is also not taught in the NSW curriculum, and I’d like to see that change,” Mr Kidd said.
Member for Orange Andrew Gee said not having the Boer War in the curriculum was an omission and he said he’d speak to NSW Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli about its inclusion.
“It’s an important part of our history, it doesn’t matter that it was a long time ago,” Mr Gee said.
“The passing of time hasn’t diminished the service and sacrifice our young men made.”
The Orange RSL sub branch’s Les McGaw said as one of the most important days in Australia’s history, the Boer War deserved more recognition.
“It should have been the first memorial built in Canberra,” he said.
At yesterday’s service historian Helen Haynes encouraged anyone interested in the Boer War, or with relatives who served in the war, to get behind a national push to have a memorial built in Canberra.
While only 25 people attended yesterday’s ceremony, Cr Kidd said numbers had risen since last year.
tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au
