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A special thing has happened to Splendour Rock as has happened to Armistice Day on 11 November at 11am every year.  Each November 11 we now also remember all Australians who died in uniform in WWII (when war came close to Australia) plus all other conflicts.

Armistice Day marked the end of hostilities for WWI on the Western Front.  The fighting was over while a Treaty (signed in June 1919) was eventually negotiated in Versailles.  The Australian Light Horse had a kind of revenge for Gallipoli.  They formed an important part in the final defeat of the Ottoman Turks during October 1918 in Palestine.  The Ottoman Empire was gone.  There was turmoil.  Modern Turkiye was yet to form under Kemal Ataturk.

The “Great War to end all wars” was over.  Yet it was not to be.  Some say WWII was really WWI part II.

In February 1948 four bushwalkers cemented the Splendour Rock plaque in place.  The plaque was dedicated on ANZAC Day 1948.  A list of attendees (possibly 140 bushwalkers) was kept but is now lost.  Equally, the newly established log book seems lost.  The best we can do is the attached list of attendees I have found.

We always known the names of the thirteen bushwalkers remembered at Splendour Rock.  From the book by Michael Keats and I “Splendour Rock – A Bushwalkers War Memorial” we now know that 191 bushwalkers from clubs of the then NSW Federation of Bushwalking Clubs (men & women) served in WWII.

The collection of Splendour Rock log books in the State Library of NSW is patchy.  However, what stands out from the entries is a change in Splendour Rock.  Splendour Rock is changing into a more comprehensive memorial.  Many visitors reflect on family or friends lost in other conflicts.

In this troubled world we do need to remember John Lennon and “Give Peace a Chance”.

Keith Maxwell

Honorary Historian.

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DEDICATION 1948 – names

From the Blue Gum correspondence (via Andy Macqueen) in the State Library of NSW there are three further names – Dorothy Lawry, Gladlys Roberts and Alan Rigby.

[1] A. Dirks gave verbal report of trip of YMCA Ramblers to dedication ceremony in 1948 to YMCA Ramblers General Meeting of 27 April 1948.  No number of walkers is listed so more than three YMCA Ramblers could have been present.

The 2025 King’s Birthday Honours list had three great honours to recognise the outdoors community.  In a happy coincidence it was great news for women, caving and hence the outdoors community generally.

Three honours; an AM & two OAM. (AM – Member of the Order of Australia and the next step up from an OAM – Officer in the Order of Australia). Three special Australians!

Coincidence; how so?  For a decade I have been a serial offender in nominating bushwalkers and now also a caver for an OAM.  In this time, I have learnt three important lessons about this open but increasingly opaque nomination procedure.

Lesson ONE is secrecy.  It is a requirement that your outstanding bushwalker (nominee) and the referees you have selected are all to be unaware of this nomination.  Secrecy makes your research a bit tricky but since there is no deadline you can concentrate on gathering good data on your nominee.  Remember, results are only announced on Australia Day or the King’s Birthday.

Lesson TWO is time.  It takes an unpredictable length of time for a decision.  My successful nominations have taken from 13 months to 24 months or more for a decision.  Nominations especially for women are encouraged at the online portal but the SUBMIT button just adds your nomination to a pile.  After a receipt email there is nothing; with no progress reports.  It seems that your nomination has entered a Canberra black hole.  It is said that there is no preference in assessing nominations.

Lesson THREE is you don’t always succeed.  Not all of my nominations have been successful and no reason is ever given.  Initially, I was told of a failed nomination by name but no longer.

The award of Australian Honours is now more opaque.  Secrecy is maintained to the very end.  Initially, I would be told with a week or so of a successful result.

An obviously generic email is now sent a just few days before a new Honours list is announced with roughly three statements.  One; a decision has been made. Two; check the Honours list for your nominee’s name.  Three; if the name is not there then thank you for your interest in the Australian Honours system.

Coincidence. I know when I submitted my honours nomination.  But in this secretive and unpredictable nomination procedure I do not know when and if one or two persons submitted the other TWO honours nominations.

So, what a great coincidence with THREE successful nominations.

From the Sydney Morning Herald of 9 June 2025 pp. 21-22

Dr Julia Mary James Camperdown NSW for significant service to scientific research, particularly in the field of speleology.

Mrs Dorothy Jean Crabb North Nowra NSW for service to speleology, and to the community.

Mrs Grace Marjorie Matts ESM Bankstown NSW for service to the community through a range of organisations.

(My nomination –

• Grace and late husband, Don Matts OAM are both well known in the caving community as founders of NSW Cave Rescue.
• Grace has served as Treasurer for a number of caving clubs.  I know her as a long serving Treasurer and hence part of the Executive of the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) where she handled $millions of government funds including VRA squad grants for which she received the Emergency Services Medal – ESM is an exclusive medal limited to the emergency services.  In this latest list of ESM recipients there are just seven from NSW.
• Grace also has the St John Ambulance Medal for years of teaching First Aid to affiliated squads of the VRA such as the bushwalkers of the then Bushwalkers S&R.
• Grace has also served several other community organisations.

I was pleased for her.)

Keith Maxwell – Honorary Historian BNSW