ONCE again, the cemeteries at Foster, Toora and Welshpool have been brought to life with the flutter of Australian flags as a team of dedicated locals commemorate the graves of our late servicemen and women.

The annual event, held a week before and after Anzac Day, honours the sacrifices made by brave individuals in various conflicts, including the World Wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

The tradition began back in 2015 when the Foster and District Historical Society, working with the Foster RSL Sub-Branch researched the names of all service personnel from the former Shire of South Gippsland who served in WWI. 

The result was an honour roll, now proudly displayed at the Foster War Memorial Arts Centre, that provides a lasting record of war service by members of this community.

Continuing the commemoration they initiated the local Flags on Graves project in 2018, providing and erecting Australian flags on the graves of service personnel interred at the Foster, Toora and Welshpool cemeteries, who had served in WWI; 100 years after the end of the first world war. 

The Flags on Graves project was started by the Geelong Cemeteries Trust in 2014, with Colac Cemetery taking up the idea and several other cemeteries since jumping on board.

“The funding came from the RSL and historical society but also the families,” Meg Rogers, president of the Foster and District Historical Society, explained.

“We asked the families and a lot of them gave more than what we asked.”

After extensive research locally by Foster and District Historical Society and Foster RSL Sub-Branch the project has since grown to include the graves of all known ex-servicemen and women at the three cemeteries, including but not limited to WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. An American flag and Polish flag also fly amongst the Australians, for a miner, who had made his way to the area, after serving in the American Civil War, and a Polish resistance fighter.

“It got families starting to think ‘oh was he in the war’ and they also wanted a flag, and it became quite a thing,” Carole Williams, publicity officer Foster RSL added.

“You’ll see more than just the Australian flag, because people from other countries who might have migrated to Australia but served in the war; so their graves are acknowledged with the flag of their country as well.”

More recent research has revealed several unmarked graves of ex-service personnel at Foster and Welshpool cemeteries with plaques now bearing the individual’s name and flags flying in the breeze. 

Over 400 flags, made possible through community donations, now flutter across the sites and show the appreciation and remembrance of communities for those who served for all Australians.

At the going down of the sun, we remember them.