The concept began as a simple question to Max Herron “Did he have a copy of every Pioneer News ever produced where I could search for mention of my late father-in-law, Bill Jollie?”
The “Yes” reply was both wonderful and the beginnings of this project. It lead to Max cataloguing and collating every issue of every volume then my subsequent scanning of almost 1000 pages. These were then optimised by OCR to enable searching of text and digitally collated into year of publication. My goal was to complete the project in time to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Pioneer News in 2012. This was completed.
To dwell on the past can be fun, occasionally productive, occasionally educational, but always insightful. There is no single event that can stand unchallenged as "the milestone" while reading these Newsletters nor is it important or relevant to try to identify such an event. I have simply presented them all and picked out a few items that have caught my eye.
Others will see things differently, and that is the real purpose of this website. It is not a military website more a social history. It provides a valuable resource for genealogists allowing all and sundry with an interest in the Pioneer Battalions to review the goings on of the men of the Association over its lifetime post-war.
Enjoy.
John PP Tyler March 2012
Reviewed and Updated May, 2024.