Located inside the administrative office of The Hills Shire Council in Norwest Business Park, these two honour roll boards list the names of 579 veterans of the Boer War and First World War. The names are printed neatly in gold lettering across nine columns, with six columns on the left board and three columns on the right board.
The list consists of 16 veterans who served in the Boer War and 563 who served in the First World War. All the names are related to the Federal electoral division of Mitchell, which (as at 2022) includes the suburbs of Baulkham Hills, Beaumont Hills, Bella Vista, Box Hill, Castle Hill, Kellyville, Nelson, Northmead, North Rocks, Rouse Hill, Winston Hills, and West Pennant Hills.
The boards are made of timber and are of matching design. They are approximately 1.2 metres wide and 1.8 meters high. They are not decorated with motifs or illustrations, but are each framed by fluted moulding. The manufacturers were Hamilton Honour Boards of nearby Seven Hills. Their name is recorded on a small plaque attached to the bottom of each board.
In 2007, the Hon. Alan Cadman MP, Member for Mitchell Electorate 1974–2007 and member of the Australia Remembers Committee, requested a list of Hills District veterans of the two wars be complied from existing honour rolls in schools, halls, and on local war memorials.
In 2018, funding to produce the boards was received through the Federal Government’s Armistice Centenary Grant Program. After many hours of voluntary work by the Castle Hill RSL sub-Branch, The Hills Shire Library, and The Hills District Historical Society, the rolls were completed and ready to be installed. The official unveiling ceremony took place at the council chambers on 8 November 2018. Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne, performed the unveiling.
The boards are mounted in the foyer of the council chambers and are available for viewing when the building is open to the public.
Notes:
- The Hills Shire Council is formerly known as Baulkham Hills Shire Council.
- Information about the veterans on this memorial was gathered from The AIF Project and National Archives of Australia databases. Other sources include The Hills District Historical Society, The Hills Shire Library, and the Castle Hill and District RSL sub-Branch.