When three golfers started repairing an old bench at Springwood Golf Course they never expected to uncover a wartime mystery.
During their repairs on the bench, found outside the golf course's pro shop, the three men discovered an old coin behind a memorial plaque.
The coin depicts ancient art and features intriguing dents.
Hoping to learn more, one of the men - Bob Blakemore - reached out to local veteran Greg Meek, a member of the Blue Mountains Vietnam Veterans Association.
Mr Meek believes the coin depicts the acropolis - and that the damaged parts of it could be from stray shrapnel.
"This seems to be... either a shrapnel or a bullet hole. So we don't know whether the coin was on his body and... stopped that penetrating his body, or what," Mr Meek said.
"You can get very tiny fragments of shrapnel, which could do that."
The coin has a smaller hole in the same place on each side, indicating it could have been worn around someone's neck, with the hole used to thread a string through.
The plaque which concealed the coin is dedicated to Sergeant George Cunningham.
Curious to learn more about the man - and coin - behind the plaque, Mr Meek began researching.
"Nobody knew of him except... [for] two local golfers," he said.
His research saw him seek out Neil C. Smith, a retired Lieutenant Colonel who provides detailed personnel reports on veterans through his military history research service, mostlyunsung.com.au.
Together with fellow veteran Terry Dinneen, Mr Meek has gathered a folder of documentation from 18 months of research. They concluded that Sgt Cunningham served in both World War I and World War II as a medic.
Mr Meek said Sgt Cunningham would have run chicken raffles to raise money for Legacy at Springwood Golf Club.
Sgt Cunningham was also a prolific golfer, winning a Gold Medal in 1950 - a monthly award for the best golfer on the field that day.
He died in 1973 in Concord Repatriation Hospital.
A Vietnam War veteran, Mr Meek believes it is important to carry out this kind of research to remember those who served before us.
"The thing is he did some good work for the RSL Legacy as well. So in other words he served both World Wars and still came back and served, looking after his fellow veterans and war widows," he said.
"It's the old saying, 'Lest we forget'. And you never forget."
With his research on Sgt Cunningham now well-documented, Mr Meek hopes to learn more about the mysterious coin.
"I want the final result, I want the answer to the coin," he said.
"It might have stayed there forever, unless these three blokes decided to fix the seat."
If you know anything about this coin or are related to Sgt George Cunningham, you are encouraged to reach out to the Gazette. Send an email to tom.walker@bluemountainsgazette.com.au or phone 0447 730 845.
