If so, Cessnock High deputy principal Michael Rathborne wants to hear from you.

He is seeking the names of any ex-students and staff that served in the Australian armed forces from World War I to Afghanistan, in order to establish an honour roll at the school.

The idea came about when Mr. Rathborne was researching for the school’s Anzac Day presentation earlier this year and came across a photo of a school’s honour roll on the Department of Veterans Affairs website.

A history teacher by training, Mr. Rathborne thinks the honour roll will serve as an important historical document to future generations.

“It’s a nice link between past and present,” he said.

“In my lifetime I’ve seen the last Boer war veteran and the last World War I veteran pass away, and at this year’s Anzac Day parade there were men who were 20 in 1940, who are now 90, and even some of the Vietnam vets are in their seventies.

“It is critically important to our community, and on a local, regional, state and national level, to remember them.”

Mr. Rathborne’s research has so far found about 300 ex-students and 14 staff that served in World War II.

These were found in the school’s Black Diamond magazines dating back to 1934, and a book titled “They Served: 1939-1945”, which was donated to the school by Cessnock Rotary Club.

Mr. Rathborne has met with the Cessnock RSL Sub-branch, who provided records of everyone (to the best of their knowledge) that attended Cessnock High and served post-World War II.

Cessnock High School began operating in 1921 in classrooms down at Cessnock Primary School, so it would not be possible for an ex-student to have served in World War I.

However, Mr. Rathborne said he would like to include any World War I veterans on the honour roll that would have attended Cessnock High had it existed.

The school moved to its current site in late 1937, and was the last brick high school to be completed in the State before the outbreak of World War II.