THE descendants of soldier settlers from Mount Schank and surrounds gathered at the foot of the dormant volcano on Wednesday for the unveiling of an information board.
The information board complements a stone memorial plaque at the site to commemorate the settlers who arrived at Mount Schank between 1914 and 1918 as part of the World War I Soldier Settlement scheme.
Returned soldiers were allocated blocks of land at Mount Schank Estate and Garden Flat.
Former Grant District mayor and descendant Don Pegler addressed a small crowd before the information board was unveiled.
“This is a continuation of the service that was held here in October 2015 when we unveiled the memorial plaque that’s here today,” Mr Pegler said.
“Grant District Council funded the printing and installation of the board so we thank them for their generosity.
“Local historian Stephanie Edgeworth spent many hours researching and condensed the information to suit the board and we thank her very much.
“It’s great to see the descendants of our World War I settlers here today with their children and grandchildren and a few great grandchildren here.”
Mark Swaffer and Adrian Wright, the only two descendants still living and working on the settlement farms, had the honour of unveiling the board before an informal Anzac Day ceremony.
“Adrian still lives in the house that his grandfather built,” mayor Richard Sage said.
“It’s great to see soldier settlers recognised today for their contributions – they helped build this district into what it is today.
“The memorial and information board is a good way of recording history.”
