Hector Norman Close (SN 607) was born in Castlemaine but his family moved to Bond Street in Ballarat where he attended the Mt. Pleasant State School. He was a 22 year old single labourer when he enlisted in Ballarat on July 14th 1915. He joined the 31st Battalion in August with which he embarked from Melbourne on board the Wandilla in November. He was promoted to Corporal in January 1917 and spent much of that year attached to the 8th and 14th Training Battalion. He rejoined the 31st Battalion in France in February 1918 but was seriously wounded in the fighting around Hazebrouck a couple of months later. At only 24 years of age, he died of his wounds on April 17th 1918, and is buried in the Adelaide Cemetery at Villers-Bretonneux, France.

His brothers Robert and Leslie also served in the AIF and are honoured with trees in the Avenue.