Goodna
29 November 1915
Brisbane Terrace, Goodna
By the time the Dungarees reached Goodna, they were hot and dusty. They were welcomed at the Goodna Recreation Reserve by the chairman of the Purga Shire. The crowds included children from the Redbank and Goodna State Schools, the Goodna Convent School and a large number of residents travelling in buggies.
As soon as the reception was over, the men made a dash for the river banks where temporary dressing sheds had been erected. A swim cooled them off before lunch in the shade of the gum trees, supplied by the local meat and smallgoods manufacturers. The newspapers reported 130 Dungarees arriving in Goodna, but as Lieutenant Binnie pointed out, there were often discrepancies in the numbers. This was because not all men nominating passed the medical test, while others nominated, but deferred their enlistment until arrangements were made with their employers.
