Ageing bronze plaques bearing the names of more than a dozen Beachport fallen soldiers are set to be restored.
The plaques date back over 100 years and are located in the foreshore war memorial which was erected on council land by public subscription in the early 1920s.
They honour the memory of the local men who made the supreme sacrifice in World War I and World War II.
With the assistance and encouragement of Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin, a number of Beachport community groups are hopeful of securing a grant through the “Saluting Their Service Program”.
They are the Beachport District Development Association, Beachport National Trust and the Lions Club of Beachport and Rivoli Bay.
Beachport National Trust spokesperson Elaine Donaldson said the Beachport RSL had gone into recess over 40 years ago.
She said the restoration of the plaques was an appropriate way to acknowledge the soldiers.
“We have had the plaques assessed by a specialist in such monuments and the quote to restore them runs well into the four figures,” Ms Donaldson said.
“With Tony Pasin’s help, we have applied for the grant.”
Among the World War I fallen from Beachport are Private Maurice Private Corigliano and Private Russell Bosisto who share an unusual distinction in death.
Private Corigliano was a boatman in his hometown of Beachport before enlisting on September 1, 1915.
He embarked from Adelaide with the 3rd Reinforcements aboard HMAT Militiades in February 1916.
He was killed in action on July 20, 1916 during the battle of Fromelles at the age of 33 years.
After the war his grave could not be located and he was commemorated on the VC Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles.
After a DNA match was made through his relatives, the remains of Private Corigliano were placed in a marked grave in 2010.
A similar set of circumstances apply to Private Bosisto.
He was working as a clerk at Beachport when the headquarters of the South East Drainage Board was located there.
The 21-year-old enlisted in the 27th battalion in 1915 and was killed in action at the Battle of Pozieres on the Western Front in the following year.
Private Bosisto’s remains were not found until 1997, DNA was used to confirm his identity and he was laid to rest with full military honours.
The honour boards from the two world wars are housed within the former Beachport Institute/South Coast Cinema.
