Assisted with a grant from the State Government’s ANZAC Centenary Fund, the Union has conducted a research project which details those public sector employees from all Departments inc Teachers and Police, over 6,000 individuals, who enlisted in WW1. 

Our PS Journal in 1918 estimated 1,899 employees of State Departments enlisted and a further 4,509 employees of the Railways served.  Names like Jacka VC (forests dept), McNamara VC (school principal), Burnell MC & French Croix de Guerre (state rivers and water), Mahony MC (dept of labour), Cashman MC also MID twice (law dept), and Selleck MC (chief ministers office) are known having been recognised for their valour however the contribution of many thousands of other civil servants has been largely ignored.  The vps ww1 commemorative project places on the public record, once again, the names of the men and women who - having already served the state of Victoria in peacetime - served their nation in a time of great suffering.  Our interactive website provides the opportunity for relatives and record keepers to add information and expand the stories.  Even today a descendant of Albert Jacka still serves Victoria at work at DELWP.   A number of departmental honour boards have also been uncovered and the website includes pictures of these.  Maurice Blackburn Solicitors have kindly provided a further grant to research our union’s involvement with the organised Labour movement in Victoria during the 1916 & 1917 Conscription Referenda as their Centenaries approach.