Ballina Lighthouse & Lismore Surf Life Saving Club
41st Battalion AssociationWith the outbreak of WW2, every able bodied member of the Ballina Lighthouse & Lismore Surf Life Saving Club joined the Australian Defence Forces. 139 men in total enlisted and 18 died during their service.
In 1946, the club decided to construct a clubhouse. The then Club President, 'Pop' Denison, suggested that the building should be a memorial to those members who did not return from the war. 15 years later, when the building finally opened, it was dedicated to their memory.
The clubhouse was significantly renovated in 2013, and a new honour roll was unveiled.
A portrait entitled "Bomber Crew" features one of the fallen surf club members, Flying Officer Hector Harrison. It now hangs in the Australian War Memorial. Before the Second World War, Hector was a butcher in his hometown of Lismore. He enlisted in the RAAF at 20 years old.
He died during a bombing raid on April 27th, 1944, just hours after the sketches were made.
