THE roots of military involvement run deep in the families of Darcy Elbourne and Marie Black.
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They are closely related to Arthur Douglas Elbourne and Albert George Elbourne, two brothers from Tinonee who fought in World War I.
For Darcy, Arthur and Albert are a great uncle and a grandfather respectively.
For Marie, they are two uncles.
Albert enlisted on March 3, 1915, at the age of 23.
He arrived in Gallipoli on September 29 that year.
When Gallipoli was evacuated in December, he was sent to fight on the Western Front in France.
It was there where he suffered a terrible injury when he was shot in the face and lost a large portion of his jaw on August 8, 1916.
He spent over a year in hospitals in Devonport and Dartford, before returning home to Australia in February, 1918.
Albert returned to Taree and married Stella Yarnold, with the couple having four children.
He died in 1970 at the age of 79.
Albert's younger brother, Arthur Douglas Elbourne, was one of the young soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
He enlisted on January 24, 1916, at the age of 19, and was posted to the Western Front on November 21.
He was wounded by shrapnel in the back at the Battle of Messines on June 7, 1917, and reportedly received two further bullet wounds to his arm and leg on the way to the medical station.
Despite the medical report stating "none of the wounds appeared very serious," Albert collapsed the next day.
He died early the following morning on June 9, just three weeks after his 21st birthday.
The contribution of her two uncles has meant that Anzac Day has always had a special significance to her family, Marie said.
"We always talked about him," she said of Albert.
"They (Marie's mother and father) always spoke about him with affection."
Darcy agreed that the upcoming Anzac Day commemorations presented a special milestone for all members of the community.
"With the centenary of Anzac, the whole community is getting behind it," he said.
"It's an opportunity to reflect on the service of these men and women."
Marie said the family was "very proud" of her two uncles.
Thirty six servicemen and women from the 2430 postcode made the ultimate sacrifice in World War I.
"For these two to come from Tinonee, it shows the commitment that the Manning area had to the war," Darcy said.