PUBLISHED author Graeme Hosken has finally achieved his dream of recording his hometown's war tales.
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The born-and-raised Adelong man has always had an interest in writing about military history, authoring four books about World War One.
But, it was always his intention to one-day dedicate a book to the town that shaped him.
"I have written similar books for two other towns, but when I retired from teaching I wanted to do my hometown," he said.
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"It had a transient population and for these people to be remembered - their stories needed to be recorded otherwise they'd be lost.
"Some of the diggers I discovered in my research were from my childhood, but being so young I never knew they were veterans".
The book Adelong: A small town in the Great War tells the stories of 540 people who volunteered their services in the First World War.
"I wanted to do a profile on each soldier and write about their life, before and after the war," he said.
"But, I also wanted to tell the stories of how the Adelong community responded to the war, how they raised money and morale, said goodbye or welcomed back soldiers and commemorate the lives lost".
The stories he uncovered evoked a strong sense of pride in his hometown, which showed a united community from beginning to end.
"I was surprised that the community maintained its enthusiasm right to the end. They were not divided over the war, especially in the conscription debate," he said.
"When it comes to war there will always be sadness, especially when reading the letters of a father dying overseas before they ever got to meet their child.
"I found many sad stories, but this book also contains the humorous personal accounts of their journey to war".
Adelong: A small town in the Great War will be released in Adelong at the Services, Citizens and Bowling Club on August 31.