WWI soldier's medals rediscovered: military history unveiled

John Hodder with a framed picture of his grandad, including medals, insignia and plaque.

By Janine Hill

When a customer dropped a medal and photograph of a young World War One soldier into Yandina Art and Framing to be framed, it seemed a simple job.

However, it led to the discovery of a more complete version of the soldier’s military service and twice as much material in the final frame.

Yandina Art and Framing owner Bill Gissane mentioned the job to Kym and Patricia Presgrave, of Queensland Medals and More, who looked up the soldier’s war history.

“Kym said he might have gone around again. Some of them did World War Two as well,” Bill said.

It turned out that customer John Hodder’s grandad, Private William Neil Handebo, had also served during World War Two and should have had two more medals.

Queensland Medals and More organised replacement medals and badges; Mike Korsos, of Korsos Photography, enhanced the worn old photo; and Chris McCleary of Apogee Trophies Sunshine Coast, engraved a small plaque with the soldier’s service details.

The complete package was framed by Yandina Art and Framing, which has been nominated as Queensland Medals and More’s preferred framer for medals, awards, certificates and citations, whether they be military, sporting, academic or civil.

Mission possible: Bill Gissane, second from right, and the team from Yandina Art & Framing bring military history back to life with their framing service and research.

The business can offer advice about what and how to frame such items. Bill said there were sometimes protocols governing how the medals should be displayed.

Staff also appreciated the significance of medals to their recipients and their families, he said.

“The men and women who served, particularly in those early conflicts, did not get a lot of recognition when they came back to Australia.”

“All they did get was those medals and that makes them, in my view, precious and they need to be treated with reverence.”

Bill said it was rewarding and an honour to bring history to life when framing medals and awards for customers.

“What’s nice for us is when people come in, we can see the reward when they see the framed work,” he said.

“All of a sudden, that rather tarnished piece of metal gets another life again, and the son or daughter or grandson or granddaughter gets a sense of the sacrifice that’s been made by the person who received it, and they’re a little more in touch with that person’s life again.”