IT was like turning back the clock 100 years when the 1956-restored steam train, Bety, and her nine carriages steamed out of the Winton railway station as part of Sunday's Anzac centenary commemorations.
As part of the World War I troop train re-enactment, Bety, with her 250 passengers and 20 Queensland Rail volunteers on board, set out on the 1400km journey to Brisbane's Roma Street Station.
As the troops did 100 years ago, Bety is scheduled to stop at Longreach, Alpha, Emerald, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Maryborough and Cooroy before steaming into Brisbane late tomorrow night.
Troop train committee president Graham McVean said the re-enactment was a special week-long event to honour those men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving.
"Winton was chosen as a starting point of the troop train event because it had a high enlistment rate per capita for World War I," he said.
It is understood that some 600 young men signed up from Winton alone for World War 1, with less than half returning.
The sacrifice vastly reduced the district sign-up for World War II, when just 14 young men enlisted.
Winton Mayor Butch Lenton said he was proud of his towns' involvement in the troop train re-enactment.
Cr Lenton said his grandfather, who came to Queensland when he was aged 14, signed up for World War I while working in the district on Eyrshire Downs.
"He also signed up for World War II, from Stanthorpe, but when he was discharged from the army he returned back to this district," he said.
During this week's journey, each of the nine carriages on the train will be named in honour of a World War I soldier from the region.
The first carriage was named after local Vivian Archer who, like thousands of others, joined up.
He survived the trenches and returned to Winton.
His third son, John, was the first local to sign up for World War II.
John's wife, 88-year-old Rosie Archer, Wanwora Downs, took pride of place in the carriage named after her late father-in-law, saying it was an honour and a privilege.
"It was great to represent Winton, and the entire Winton community, on a carriage named after Vivian," Mrs Archer said.
Flynn federal MP Ken O'Dowd said the event had been in the planning for about 18 months, with support from the federal government.
"Each electorate was given a grant of $125,000 to celebrate the Anzac centenary," he said.
"Well that might sound like a lot, but in the scheme of things it
wasn't.
"So a committee was formed and the electorates of Maranoa, Wide Bay and Capricornia all came on board to be part of this brilliant celebration."
Helen Walker
Journalist for Queensland Country Life at Rockhampton.
Journalist for Queensland Country Life at Rockhampton.
