"Avalon Beach SLSC's Roger Sayers contacted us a few weeks ago, knowing our passion for all things Historical, to remind us that the 19th of June 2015 was the 130th anniversary of the NSW Contingent to the Sudan returning from the war in Sudan, men who were billeted at the Quarantine Station at North Head on their return, possibly due to nine men passing away from disease on the return voyage and one gentleman being buried at the Head, a victim of typhoid.
These ‘Soudan' men were the first volunteer Australian troops to go overseas, and were Australia's first returned servicemen – preceding those who went to the Boer War and the First World War by many years.
Having read some of these reports during past research activities, especially finding threads of this Service mentioned while following Captain Hixson's path a fair while after he first trod it, there are of course local gentlemen and members of our own community who had relatives among the ten thousand Australians who went to serve in this conflict.
Tom Gunning, sports writer of this period, who was also one of the founding members of Manly Surf Life Saving Club, served in The Soudan Contingent…"
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reports from OrcCon 2008.