As part of the centenary of World War I, local schools are being encouraged to participate in the Adopt a Digger project.

The project honours the men and women from Shellharbour who fought in WWI.

Warilla RSL Sub Branch  treasurer Allan Hurrell said government funding had helped to obtain archived documents, which would form the stories of each of the soldiers whose names are  on the Shellharbour Village War Memorial.

Mr Hurrell encouraged schools to get on board with the project by  getting students to write an essay based on the  soldiers.

“They will learn about their local history and their own people and put a bit of meat on the bones of Australian history,” Mr Hurrell said. 

“A lot of people pass by the memorial every day but we don’t often think about these people, who they are and what they did. With these records, of enlistment papers, what they did in service, gear and letters they can piece together the story in an essay.”