Childers local Thelma Denny’s strong ties to the Bundaberg Region have recently been made even stronger with her family members honoured as part of the Streets of Remembrance Program.
The program sees the badge under which local veterans served added to the signs of local streets named after them, ensuring their stories remain an integral part of the community’s heritage.
“At an age well into my 80’s I [am the] only one remaining relative of my generation to be able to say how grateful I am for the Council initiative to honour our war veterans,” Thelma said.
“To have my paternal relatives named and honoured in the Streets of Remembrance is gratifying and an honour to the family name and their pioneering association with Bundaberg from its early settlement in 1871.”
Skyring Street was named after Sister Gertrude Skyring and her brother Private Frank Skyring who were Thelma’s great aunt and great uncle.
Sister Gertrude May Skyring was born in Bundaberg in 1890, the daughter of Charles Frederick Skyring and Sophia Maud (nee Robinson).
According to the Australian War Memorial website, Sister Gertrude resigned her position at the Gladstone Hospital in Bundaberg to enlist in the Australian Army Nursing Service during WWI.
She worked at the hospital at Rouen in France and returned to Australia in July 1919 where she married Reginald Arthur Packman.
Private Frank Skyring also served in WWI, initially with the 23rd Battalion and then later with the 8th Battalion.
He was amongst the 1, 752 others who survived with the troopship Ballarat was torpedoed and sunk off The Lizard on 25 April 1917.
Private Skyring was wounded twice during service and returned to Australia in 1919.
Fond family memories
Thelma reminisced about both her relatives, particularly her uncle Frank of whom she had fond memories.
“Aunt ‘May’ Packman lived in Brisbane after her return to Australia and marriage and I did not see her very often,” Thelma said.
“Uncle Frank Skyring married an English bride who came from Liverpool.
“They had several children and lived in Quay Street, Bundaberg East, near Skyring’s Sawmill where he worked as a sawyer.
“As I was the same age as his youngest daughter, I became a spoiled favourite and we had many an outing to the movies on his motorcycle, his only mode of transport all his life as he was a dispatch rider during WWI.”
Thelma has been involved in the research and publication of twelve volumes of books and CD’s about the Childers WWI soldiers and also the VC Corner Cemetery in France on Anzac Day where her Uncle John Valentine Ross died in battle in 1916.
“It is important to honour all service men and women who willingly made the sacrifice in service of this country so that their families and all people could preserve peace in the world so driven with strife and conflict,” said Thelma.
“All who serve this country in our name should never be forgotten.”
- Streets of Remembrance: Private Laack
