Book’s place in War Memorial

Stanthorpe veteran Steve Flood meets Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Cosgrove at the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, pictured with author Deborah Wheeler on right. Picture: JEREMY SOLLARS

By Jeremy Sollars

A book about two of the region’s military veterans compiled by Warwick’s Deborah Wheeler has found a place at the Australian War Memorial.
The stories of Stanthorpe’s Steve Flood and Killarney’s Tom Phillips, who served in World War II, were the subject of Deborah’s ‘Tales of a Military Medal Recipient and a Lancaster Bomber Rear Gunner’ which was released just before Remembrance Day last year.
Tom Phillips – who the Free Times had the privilege of interviewing shortly before the book’s release – served as a field ambulance officer and saw action in North Africa and Papua New Guinea, while Steve was a rear gunner in Lancaster bombers.
Deborah launched the book – made possible through the support of Southern Downs Regional Council and the Regional Arts Development Fund – at Killarney Memorial Aged Care.
Steve Flood met Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove during his visit to the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery on Saturday, 24 March, along with Deborah.
Deborah offered to donate her book to the Australian War Memorial earlier this year, and was pleased when they informed her it had been accepted into their Research Centre’s Published Collection and will be made available to researchers using the AWM’s Reading Room.
Deborah is currently working on a children’s book about her grandfather, William James Wheeler, who was one of the original 88 ‘Kangaroos’ who marched from Wagga Wagga to Sydney in 1915 and fought in France.
‘My Pop Was A Kangaroo’ will be aimed at students from Prep to Year 6, to better their understanding of the significance of events such as Anzac Day.
The book will also be funded with a Southern Downs Regional Council Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) grant.

Kyoomba Military Sanitorium call-out …
Deborah Wheeler is also very keen to hear from anyone with historical family connections to Stanthorpe’s Kyoomba Sanitorium.
She’s assisting the Stanthorpe RSL with a research project on Kyoomba, which was established for repatriated Diggers suffering from tuberculosis (TB) and those who developed lung damage due to the effects of the German gas they encountered while serving in the trenches on the frontline of combat in World War I.
Kyoomba is a small township some three kilometres outside Stanthorpe. The hospital was known variously as the Kyoomba Sanatorium, Kyoomba Military Hospital or the Stanthorpe Military Hospital.
The Granite Belt was known to be an ideal place to recuperate for these patients due to its high altitude and clean dry air.
If you can assist in any way please contact Deborah Wheeler on 0414 852 492.
* ‘Tales of a Military Medal Recipient and a Lancaster Bomber Rear Gunner’ is currently being re-printed – contact Deborah if you would like to reserve a future copy.
* For more on the Kyoomba Sanitorium visit www.kyoombarslproject.com