The town of Walpeup on the Mallee Highway in the north west of Victoria is one of those that is easy to blink and miss as you pass through, but keep it in mind as a rest stop in your travels and like a lot of rural locations in Australia, you’ll be surprised with what you can find.

Walpeup is around 30 kilometres west of Ouyen on a route that many South Australian travellers take on the journey to New South Wales.

Travelling on the highway you pass a Dryland Garden which has plantings of many native trees and shrubs and is a great spot to stretch your legs and have a wander around the well laid out garden, and then directly across the road from the garden, is some newly painted silo art with an incredible story to tell.

The silos were painted by Julian Clavijo and Camilo Delgado in June 2023 and they portray Harold Thomas Bell who stands proudly in his WW1 uniform next to a steed with a galah flying overhead. What’s immediately noticeable is his baby faced features which gives a hint to the poignant story behind the painting.

Harold was born in Walpeup in 1901 and like many boys in the region during that era, he preferred to spend most of his time outdoors on the land. He was strong and fit, and capable with a rifle and horses even though he was only 5ft 4 in height.

When he was sixteen he noticed local men signing up to fight for their country with the outbreak of World War 1 and he was eager to join too, so he did as many others did at the time and lied about his age to enlist.

He left home one night leaving just a note telling his family that he was heading to Queensland to become a jackaroo, as his older brother had done before him, but instead he went to Mildura to sign up for the Light Horse Regiment.

Giving a false name, age and family information he managed to convince the recruiting officer and enlisted on March 17, 1917 as Harold Thomas Wickham, aged 21. Just days later he left Australia for Egypt and after training was assigned a horse and selected for the Hotchkiss machine gun section.

On October 28, his regiment was moved to the town of Beersheba, where a battle raged and Harold rode into a hail of gunfire and was critically wounded after being shot in the leg. Sadly he died the next day and was laid to rest in the Beersheba War Cemetery.

According to the information he provided on his enlistment form, his only living relative, an uncle, was notified by telegram of his nephew’s death. The recipient however was actually his father Thomas Bell, who replied to the telegram that there must be a mistake as he didn’t have a nephew named Harold, only a son by that name but that he couldn’t be in the Army as he was only 16.

More tragedy for the family was to happen less than a year after Harold’s death, when Thomas Bell would receive another telegram, this time to be told that his other son, Samuel, had also become a victim of the war.

LEST WE FORGET

If you are looking to stay overnight in Walpeup, there is a small caravan park on the corner of Creagan Street and Murphy Road with powered sites from $10 per night. There are public amenities as well as a covered barbecue area and play equipment. From the caravan park you can take a stroll on Shubert’s Walk, a nature walk with native trees and shrubs in a natural setting.

Cheers,

Glenys