No men from the Avoca had been killed or wounded yet and the war seemed a
long way away. Might the conflict actually bring the
district some
good?
Wine growers thought so. The annual report of the Viticultural
Society of Victoria pointed out that though exports had been held up by
the first mobilisations, causing a glut of dry reds and whites on the
local market, the 1914--15 French and German vintages would be greatly
reduced. The British navy guarded the seas, and with space on steamers
bound for Europe, there would be no difficulty meeting what would be a
strong demand for Australian wines. Moreover, brandy imports had been
interrupted by the war and this would increase local demand for the
Australian product.
The war had been underway for four months and the slaughter in the
trenches had begun, but the news from France seemed not to affect Avoca.
Even so, the pupils of Avoca State School and their friends continued
to help with with the war effort by making clothing for the soldiers.
On Wednesday 16 December the students of the Avoca State School held a successful concert in aid of the Patriotic Fund.
(No title. (1914, December 19). Avoca Free Press and Farmers' and Miners' Journal (Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 2. Retrieved December 26, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article151622756)
The Warrenmang correspondent of the
Avoca Free Press reported on 19 December 1914 that Percy Tuck, formerly of the Avoca district but now with the Sydney Fire Brigade had enlisted. Percy Tuck enlisted on 26 November 1914. He had been born at Warrenmang and was 24 years old. He served with the 4th Battalion and on 1 May 1915 died of wounds received in action on Gallipoli. His death was reported in the
Avoca Free Press on 26 June 1915:
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