Dawesville RSL members helping to make 62,000 poppies in memory of World War I soldiers, say the act is a form of "therapy”.
A group of about 30 members met last week to contribute to the RSL WA Poppy Project with a goal to make one poppy for each soldier who did not return from WWI.
The poppies will be displayed at Kings Park surrounding the State War Memorial on Armistice Day, marking 100 years since the end of the Great War.
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Dawesville Sub Branch officer Denise Gibson, whose husband Colin is the branch president, said most members had known someone who served in the war.
“My grandfather was in WWI, my father was in WWII and my husband is a Vietnam vet,” she said.
“We want to show we still care, after all these years.”
RSL WA poppy project coordinator Judy Welch who has lost two family members in war, said she felt “at home” volunteering with the RSL.
“Helping out is my therapy,” she said.
According to the Australian War Memorial, more than 416,000 men were enlisted in WWI and 61,513 were killed.
The poppies will be displayed in Kings Park on November 11.
Carla Hildebrandt
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
