General News
15 September, 2026
Plaque for WWI soldier unveiled
ONE of the Far North’s earliest servicemen of World War I has been honoured more than 100 years after his death.
ier No. 27, was remembered with a plaque unveiled at the southern end of Mission Beach Hideaway Holiday Village on Porter Promenade at Mission Beach.
Members of the Tully RSL Sub Branch and the Mission Beach community, including the historical society, came together to recognise and remember Mr Harris.
According to the RSL, Mr Harris, enlisted in Townsville in August 1914 and joined the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force.
“He was aboard the first troopship to leave Townsville on 8 August 1914, just days after Australia entered the war, as part of the force sent north to deal with the German wireless station at Rabaul (Papua New Guinea),” according to a RSL Facebook post.
“He later re-enlisted and was allocated the remarkable service number 27, serving with the force that maintained and defended the Rabaul base throughout the war.
“After his service, Syd returned to land he owned at Mission Beach, where he planned to grow vanilla beans.
“Tragically, he died on 20 November 1921 while burning off his allotment.
“More than a century later, the effort to ensure Syd’s service was properly recognised brought together people from near and far.
“Special recognition goes to Ken Gray of the Mission Beach Historical Society, who brought Syd’s story to the attention of the Tully RSL Sub Branch and undertook a considerable amount of the background research that helped preserve and tell his story.
“Special thanks also go to Dr David Hay, Syd’s grandnephew, whose generosity helped fund the replacement plaque, and Karl Adams of Tully RSL, who took up the cause and helped find a home for it near Syd’s original burial location at Mission Beach Hideaway Holiday Village.
“Our thanks also go to Gerald and Mission Beach Hideaway Holiday Village for supporting the project and providing a place where Syd’s story could once again be recognised close to where he was originally laid to rest.
“The unveiling was about more than a plaque. It was about making sure that a young North Queenslander who answered the call in the opening days of the First World War, served his country for years and later returned home to Mission Beach is remembered properly by the community.”
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