Plaque Seals Memory Of Reunion

20160228 Jim Kingston and Trevor Sanderson — Past and current Murgon RSL presidents Jim Kingston and Trevor Sanderson proudly show off the new commemorative plaque on the Neder-Betuwe bench chair

April 11, 2016

When the Burgemeester (Mayor) of Neder-Betuwe, Kees Veerhoek, was unable to attend a special commemorative lunch at the Murgon RSL Club last November, he organised a present for the South Burnett instead.

Mayor Veerhoek was forced to cancel plans to accompany a delegation of Dodewaard’s May 4 committee at the last minute when he was tasked with finding homes in his municipality for more than a hundred Syrian refugees.

So he organised a gift in his place, a special bench chair carved by the South Burnett Woodcrafters which now has pride of place in Murgon RSL’s foyer.

The Doedwaard delegation who came to Murgon for the lunch were part of a group that has faithfully tended the graves of Australian airmen Patrick Tiernan and Alfred Burns for more than 70 years.

Both airmen were shot down over Dodewaard in June 1944.

The delegation came to Australia last year to visit with members of the Burns and Tiernan families, and the Murgon RSL lunch was one of the last items on their agenda before their trip back home.

Recently Murgon RSL put a final touch to the incredible story of Tiernan and Burns when they attached a commemorative plaque to the bench.

The plaque records the chair is dedicated to the memory of Patrick Tiernan, Alfred Burns, and Patrick’s niece Sister Philomene Tiernan.

Sr Philomene was part of a South Burnett delegation that visited Dodewaard in 2014; she was killed on her return flight when her airliner was shot down over Ukraine.

The plaque also records that the chair was presented by the Municipality of Neder-Betuwe.

The chair’s finishing touch was affixed by David Olm and Allan Trevaskis from the South Burnett Woodcrafters, and overseen by former Murgon RSL sub-branch president Jim Kingston and new president Trevor Sanderson.

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