OBERON school children inspired the design of the town's war memorial officially opened on Saturday.
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Member for Bathurst Gerard Martin unveiled the memorial during an impressive dedication ceremony attended by about 250 people.
NSW Returned Services' League president Keith Hall attended the ceremony at which children, who have only seen war on television or read accounts in books, mingled freely with war veterans.
Veterans from Oberon, Bathurst and the Blue Mountains sub branches attended the ceremony.
Unfortunately, 97-year-old John Howell, the oldest living member of Oberon RSL, could not attend due to doctors orders. Another treasured RSL member and long-serving doctor Lance Robey was also unable to attend.
Mr Howell was to have raised the flag on the memorial with the boy who designed the monument, 13-year-old Oberon Public School Year Six student Barry Byrom.
Barry, with Chris Longmuir and Isaac Fitzpatrick from St Joseph's and Aaron Feure of Oberon Public schools, were finalists in the competition to design the memorial and plaque.
Former Oberon RSL Sub Branch president and life member Frank McMaugh assisted Mr Martin at the unveiling and dedication of the monument, a central feature of a landscaped park in the town.
An Oberon woman, Coralie McKinnon, who was credited with having motivated the community to build the memorial, was also present and met Mr Hall.
RSL secretary Neville Stapleton said it was brought to the notice of the branch on June 24, 2001, there was no war Memorial in Oberon. O'Connell, Tarana and even Lowther had a memorial, he said.
Mr Stapleton said for as long as Oberon residents could remember the front door Honour Roll of the RSL Club was the town memorial.
After taking 12 months to get approvals to establish the memorial, NSW Government gave $10,000 and Federal Government Veterans' Affairs $5000 to construct the memorial in April this year.
