Transcription of an extract from an article titled ‘The Route March : Through Lithgow District’ in The Farmer and Settler, 5 November, 1915, p. 3 [part 2 of 4]
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‘On Tuesday the “Coo-ees” spent the major portion of the day at squad drill, and in the afternoon a cricket match was played against the local camp boys, resulting in a win for the latter after a hard struggle. Dungaree overalls and white hats were issued, and advantage was taken of the spare day to overhaul the foot gear of the contingent. A large quantity of new boots was purchased, and three repairers were kept at work all day. Meals were served at the camp, and the men began to think they had been living “high” on the march, when they had to sit down to stew for dinner and bread and marmalade for tea. The Lithgow camp is a drill hall, with an ample area of ground, and is in charge of Captain Eade, who is accompanying the Gilgandra men to Sydney. It is well equipped, and has all the essentials of larger camps, everything being in good order.
A recruiting meeting was held after tea, the Mayor presiding. The usual appeal was made, but only five responded – a disappointing number from so large a district. But perhaps this should be considered very fair, when it is taken into consideration that Lithgow is an industrial town, where the majority of the men are employed in work that is of vital importance to the nation in the present crisis. At the same time, when one or two of the “Coo-ees” were being shown over the Lithgow Small Arms Factory, they could not fail to note that much of the work at present being done, by able-bodied young men, could be satisfactorily performed by female labor, thus liberating a number of eligibles for service at the front.
During the evening, the headmaster of the district school, Major Reay, made a presentation to Captain Hitchens of a sum of money raised by the school children from the sale of roses.
Wednesday’s march is one of the most interesting of the whole journey from Gilgandra onward. The country along the route abounds in places of historic interest, and the route lay along one of the beautiful mountain roads beloved of the tourist.’
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Click here to access the article on Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article116680017
1915 Coo-ee March 