General News
8 May, 2025
Debi Gramson caps off WW1 tour with visit to her hometown
Debi Gramson was born in Stawell and is proud that members of her families military service.
Debi Gramson was born in Stawell and is proud that members of her families military service.
On Tuesday, April 29, Debi brought several friends she’d made while touring the Western Front in Europe to her hometown and a visit to the war memorial.
“We’re commemorating here in Stawell because I have a great uncle on the epitaph,” Ms Gramson said.
The group had spent some days in Dunkeld and had been travelling throughout the region, carrying out commemorations in different towns.
A day in Stawell to check out several attractions around town, and have lunch at the RSL, was the last stop on their trip before most head home.
Much of the group had met while touring the Western Front and Gallipoli last September.
The group visited more than 20 war memorials between Ypres in Belgium and Paris, before travelling to Istanbul and Gallipoli.
Ms Gramson was able to lay a wreath at the Menin Gate and a bugler travelling with the group played the Last Post from the top of the Villers-Bretonneux Tower
The organiser of that tour was Gary Snowden OBE, a resident of Ballarat who is nearing 20 visits to Gallipoli and the Western Front.
In 2006 he became involved with recruiting volunteers to run the Gallipoli ANZAC Day ceremonies and in 2012, when some volunteers began asking about visiting other significant areas of Europe, he started organising the tours.
“Since then, every couple of years, we've had a tour to Western Front, or Gallipoli or both,” Mr Snowden said.
“We live the life that we live, because we've been able to preserve our freedoms.
“That's due to the people of previous generations who've been prepared to answer the call and stand up when our freedom has been under threat.”