The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-17
PLUMBER-PATRiOT STIRS AUSTRALIA
 TO INVESTMENTS
Sill Kitchens ssCoo-ees'' Tramp From Gilgandra to Syd-
 ney to Enlist.


 Army and -'Hitchen's Own,' march Ad into Sydney on Nov. 12 on sched- ule time amid scenes of great enthI- siasra- The ssCoo-ees,'' who are nov merged with the troops in active preparation at Liverpool Camp for battle against the Turks and ..Boches,s but whose Journey will be historic, are the tlirty-hve residents of Gilgranda and vicinity--Ino nostly young faTmers-who on Oct. 10 start ed out as recruits to tramp to Syd- l. ney. 3z0 miles away. and some 200 others of like brave stamp who Joined the Initial handful on the way.
 The author of the march was BilP' Kitchen. who in peace times sticks to plumbing in Gilgandra, but in war times is the captain of the local rifle club Captain ''Bilf accompanied the volunteers all the way to this city, and he now proposes another route march from that town Incidental | iy, he has son at the front and an other son, who. being too young to be i q soIdiers is a Boy Scout. and was | mum bered with the Gflgandraites as | bug1er and dispatch bearer. Also there is a daughter. v'ho' Is trying hard | to be sent to Egypt to nurse wounded soldiers.
 It had been hoped that the snow ball army would trudge into Sydney | 500 strong, but it is nearing the harv- l est season in the cofnmonwealth, and when the army reached the Inetrop- ohs it mustered but 26s men, It is | likely the next Gi1grandra march, 1 which will not be begun until the grain is in, will make. better show 7ng numericallys but, even sos tPe trek from the spot in the New South Wales wheat belt which by it's pie t1resque patriotism and ssBilP' Hitch ems persistency has placed itself Ion the map has fired other places in Australia to do likewise.
 As the sergeant major of the "Coo- ees. an eratwht1e Methodist minister and farmer named Lee. put it; " ou must not judge this march by what has actually been done but by the impression we have left behind Lee, who. to turn soldier. left his crops to be reaped8 by neighbors, and as for mer preacher had to do most of the speechrnaking en route, added: T have nearly worn out my throat in eetting hold of the boys, but the re- sponseN has amply repaid me would not have missed this march for any 4hinG It is indeed wonderful soheme for getting recruits
 Trtunapha1 Entry Into sydney.
 The entry of the hardy. tanned. s{,,af-feateds men into Sydney was in the nature Of a. triumpha1 procession They did not bear themselves as aIert1y as they will few months from now when they have under come drilling at 11V6rpool ana the pEe- sale and clumsy blue overalls they xora-overaIls being the working clothes served out by the Defense De- r,art1nerat to raw recr1lits--did not make them look very impressive. but the welcoming crowds ignored these externals and cTleered them for what they are-1overs of their country Wh Q dare do all.
 AZ long ago as last May. Captain Kitchen conceived the idea of recruit ing marches from the country districts to this metropolis: He suggestea four such movements to be conducted simultaneously but the military au- thorftfes for a long time were luke warm and the politicians were also- Then a paragraph got into the papers The press approved the punlic ,,a31,, ap, plauded. and Gilgantra and B1lt Hitchen suddenly found themselves fanaous. It was not until the Gilgan- s5ra march had been fairly set going however, by private means that e the Defense Department a;woke to It's pos abilities. but when tnls nao, ssiesi aau place two regular officers were ae- @ faiied to accompany and assist tne eoIunarl and official recognition was fofthconing in other ways.
 s Tbe march was full of incidents inst such as might be e<pecreo III l elIs equally democratic United States were that country a participant in grea1 var The original tFlirty-five mer sfa4hered others to them at Dubbc ani Wongarbon and Geur1e and Mo long and Yetholne and Wallara"ans m and Parrarnatta and other places ~nrr,etfI1aes through the medium oi T5@etines and speeches, and some 45rrea simply by the resolute spirl with which they footed the GUST roads The HCoo-ees averaged dozen miles arday. ana once sney s. Sos. ered twenty miles. On Sundays thel rested. Al first supplies from tn' rovernment were almost nil, but whel
 ssFirst stop-Berlin." ."
 Evervwllere along the route people assembled to wish the men sooe 1,1cIx., and to provide them with re freabments; and Captain BilI wa ts,e recIpient of cash and checks fo tle beneft of the embryo soldiers, wh, bore manner bearing the legend s First Stop-Berlin " Kisses ron girls in one place were the mehas rare ~ we'll and in another place they wer declced out with roses. From Won carbon to Bathrust the march ie' fs past field after field of waving wheat for Australia will garner 150, OoO.o .oe bushels of that cereal this war year s bumper crop indeed: but on passinl WaIlarawangi the men came into region so parched by drought and hea that on the Blue Mountains bush fire r. were raging in many places, and ono they were fain to stop and help pu out the flames
 Out west the tCoo-ees" came upol swaguan ttramp workman) hump ing his bluey,s (carrying his blanket) and they invited him to become on of them. Know anything about sol diering2'' they asked him. KnoZ nothing about soldfering?1 he snorted wait, He dropped his swag in tn dust, united it. and produced som war medals which made the snow ban army open it's eyes. T did a bi in south Africa anyway" he ex pHained, "ans dfdn'f suffer fror Mauseritis or pompcm debility either c. - -.l--- -I-4-