Frederick Stephen Whelan (SN 64529) was born in Ballarat and was a 19 year old plumber when he enlisted in Melbourne on May 17th 1918. Assigned to the 6th General Service Reinforcements he sailed from Sydney on September 14th on the Port Darwin, via Suez to England arriving there within days of the signing of the Armistice. He returned home on the Burma, disembarked on August 29th 1919 and was discharged soon after.
He served again during World War 2 becoming a prisoner of war of the Japanese.

His brothers Charles , Ernest and Frank also served in the AIF and are honoured with a tree in the Avenue.

Lucas’s Staffs Appreciation of Brave Men, the original Avenue register, records his name as Fred S. Whelen.