On St Patrick’s Day, 1942 the Darling Downs 25th Battalion left Cabarlah barracks at 2am and marched down the steep Range to the siding at Spring Bluff Railway Station.

The soldiers boarded trains bound for the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds, Townsville and eventually Milne Bay.

More than 200 did not return from battles with Japanese forces at Milne Bay in 1942 and Bougainville in 1945.

A memorial plaque is located on the Station and the Trust hold a commemoration ceremony for the veterans each year on St Patrick’s Day.

Each year on the anniversary of the Soldiers’ departure from Spring Bluff, returned members of the 25th Battalion gather at Spring Bluff Railway Station for a flag raising ceremony.  Although the gathering is quite small (25th Battalion members, Cadets, Murphys Creek and Withcott Primary School children and Councillors from the Lockyer Valley Regional Council and Toowoomba Regional Council as well as a Queensland Rail representative), it is a very moving ceremony.  The Trust also provides a morning tea on the railway platform for those present.  

The 65^th Anniversary of the 25^th Battalion’s departure
The 17^th of March, 2007 saw a special commemoration take place at Spring Bluff, the 65^th anniversary of the 25th Battalion's departure from Spring Bluff Railway Station.

 

 

This special anniversary commemorated St. Patrick’s Day 17 March 1942, when the 1000 strong Darling Downs 25th Infantry Battalion left Cabarlah Barracks at 2.00am and marched down the steep range to the siding at Spring Bluff.   There the soldiers boarded trains bound for the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds, Townsville and eventually Milne Bay at the eastern tip of New Guinea.  

The Trust (formerly Toowoomba, Gatton and Crows Nest Councils and QR) were very mindful of the significance of the Spring Bluff Railway Station in the lives of these very special Returned Servicemen.  There is great appreciation for the efforts that these men and their families make to journey to the Station each year on St. Patrick’s Day.  We also accept the fact that numbers are dwindling.  This is the prime reason why the Trust Committee wished to make the 65th Anniversary on 17 March, 2007 a very special day by breaking with the tradition of a small remembrance ceremony and making the 65th Anniversary a major public commemoration.  

The day made the Anniversary not only a commemoration of the 1942 departure, but also a celebration of the rich history of the 25th Battalion honouring the members still with us.  
 

The day's event incorporated a flag raising ceremony (including The Last Post and The Ode), re-enactment by Toowoomba Cadets and music by the Australian Army Band from Enoggera.  After the commemoration, invited guests were served a light lunch.