Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Last Saturday I had the privilege of attending the commemorative service for 'our boys' memorial at Colinton, which is a town that no longer exists. At the beginning of World War I, it had 211 people, and 44 young men and boys went to fight in World War 1. I want to congratulate the Brisbane Valley Heritage Trails and Elizabeth DeLacy for her wonderful book, The Colinton Boys, released last Saturday, which tells the story of these 44 young men who went overseas to fight on behalf of Australia. Colinton township does not exist anymore, but at its height it had a dairy factory—which was later closed down. It is north of Toogoolawah and before you get to the Blackbutt Range in South-East Queensland. I also congratulate the local committee that has been at the forefront of making sure this story is rescued for posterity. It is incredible that the story of these 44 young men, who were not always treated well when they came back, has not been told. The dairy factory that many of the men worked in was closed down not long after they came back, and not all of them had great and glorious lives afterwards. This was a time when Australians did not always treat their young men well when they came back from war. It is a great history lesson for all of us. We should treat the men and women who make sacrifices overseas on our behalf much, much better.

See this speech in context