The Railway Place” mural, located at the rear of the Port Lincoln RSL beer garden, pays tribute to two WWI soldiers—Nicholas Leo McInerney and Thomas Leo Corcoran—whose story is one of extraordinary connection, courage, and sacrifice.
Both men served in the 10th Battalion and were linked not only by service but also by their shared workplace before the war: the Minnipa railway station. Artist Rebecca Palmer discovered their intertwined story while researching names on the local Railway Place honour board, leading to a year-long exploration of their lives.
Thomas enlisted first and served at Gallipoli, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant. Nicholas, joined a year later and was wounded at the Battle of Pozières. Desperate for news, his mother Anne McInerney wrote countless letters and eventually received a response from her son Michael—then a prisoner of war in Germany—urging her to contact Thomas Corcoran for information. Tragically, both Nicholas and Thomas would die of wounds sustained on the battlefield.
In a powerful detail, both men shared the middle name “Leo,” which means brave. This shared name becomes a subtle yet meaningful reminder of their courage that defined not just their service, but their enduring legacy.
The mural captures a poignant imagined moment: Thomas and Nicholas standing at a railway station, ready to board a train symbolising their departure to war. The backdrop features the iconic Eyre Peninsula hills, and the track is lined with red poppies.
An augmented reality feature by artist Stu Nankivell brings the mural to life—when viewed through a phone, Thomas shares a monologue written by Rebecca and spoken by Stu as follows;
“The sun’s setting now on our time here, it’s hard to believe we’re leaving all this behind, the silence, the stubble, the smell of home on the wind. Never thought I’d trade these tracks for trenches… but here we are. We don’t know what’s waiting for us, but with our mates by our side, we’ll be right. We are doing this for our country, for freedom and for our family, lest we forget when we are over there, we will remember them…:”
