Yelarbon
Postcode: 4388
Yelarbon is a small town in south-central Queensland on the Dumaresq River. It sits on the Cunningham Highway midway between Goondiwindi and Inglewood in the Waggamba Shire.
Yelarbon is an Aboriginal Australian word meaning water lilies growing in a lagoon.
It was the first place in Queensland to grow tobacco commercially. Nowadays, cattle and sheep are raised, and cereal crops are grown. There is fishing on the Dumaresq River as well, nearly all recreational. The Murray Cod is one of the more sought-after prizes to catch.
The original Yelarbon war memorial was a stone on a slab of concrete with the wording Lest We Forget on a small plaque.
Two tiers of sandstone support the obelisk bearing the many names. Those killed in action have their name marked with a gold star. Insignia of the Armed Services is etched into the second tier. The crown on military insignia changes in shape with each Monarch.
However there are many variations on Queensland war memorials and it is always interesting to see whether a King’s Crown or a Queen’s Crown is used. Queen’s crowns are featured on each etching at Yelarbon.
On 15th April 1996 an impressive Yelarbon Roll of Honour was dedicated next to the Memorial Hall.
Warwick masons W & N Frater and W E Colledge & Son prepared the tribute. This features the names in gold of all who served from the district in both World Wars.