He was the 11th child of George Fuller, who built Shellharbour's Dunmore homestead out of his gold rush earnings in 1865 and created several of Kiama's early businesses.

The Illawarra's own Light Horse division, the 28th, was formed in 1912, and Colin Fuller became its commanding officer. He was appointed captain at age 32, when he joined the 6th Light Horse Regiment of the 1st AIF in 1914.

The Illawarra light horse brigade camped up the coast, one of their camping spots believed to be at Helensburgh, as they made their way to Sydney before sailing off to war on the Suevic in late December 1914.

About 40 days later, they were in Egypt and camped near the pyramids. Soon the 6th Light Horse were sent to Gallipoli and was battling in the trenches at Ryrie's Post under heavy Turkish fire, where Colonel Fuller was mentioned in dispatches for his bravery.

One citation, in December 1915, read: "This officer has displayed fine initiative in dealing with a difficult problem [in] the defence of Wilson's Lookout also courage and daring. He ... carried out his work with determination and grit."

After the Anzacs' withdrawal from the Gallipoli battlefront, the 6th were shoved right back into the heat of battle in the Sinai.

In the battle of Romani, Colonel Fuller was injured in the thigh. He was awarded a DSO for the successful withdrawal of troops at Romani, which lured the Turks into the heavy sands for a victorious ambush.

The 6th took more than 11,000 prisoners during their Middle East campaign. The Sultan of Egypt awarded Colonel Fuller the Star of the Nile for bravery.

At the end of the war, Colonel Fuller returned to Dunmore House. Through his suggestion, a memorial arch was erected in Kiama and dedicated on August 25, 1925, by his eldest brother, George Warburton Fuller, then premier of NSW.

Colonel Fuller became, as his father before him, a leading figure in the Shellharbour community and was known as the "Old Colonel".

Colonel Fuller's story and others will feature in Fairfax Media's The Faces of Anzacs centenary tribute in April, marking 100 years since the Gallipoli landing in World War I.

We want to include your stories in this tribute, which will pay homage to Anzacs from every community across Australia. To contribute, visit illawarramercury.com.au and click on The Faces of Anzacs link.

Submissions will be accepted until Friday, March 27.

The region's Anzac centenary commemorations will include a fundraising lunch on April 23, remembering those who have served Australia in all conflicts.

The Centenary of Anzac luncheon will be held at WIN Entertainment Centre and feature guest speaker Damien Thomlinson and scholarship presentations to two Illawarra students.

A former commando, author and aspiring Paralympian, Mr Thomlinson will share his story of war after he lost his legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion while serving in Afghanistan.

A panel discussion on the meaning of Anzac today, featuring former defence personnel, will also be held with Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery and Major-General Brian "Hori" Howard to facilitate.

Gen Howard is also on the Illawarra Anzac Centenary Committee, which formed in 2011 and includes representatives from the Returned Services League, the region's councils, education authorities and business community.

He said the committee wanted to acknowledge the Anzacs' contribution to their country in a unique way.

"We agonised over a couple of things we really wanted to include because we wanted something that was permanent ... we also really wanted something that was alive, and something that focused on young people," Gen Howard said.

The committee decided to raise money for two $5000 perpetual scholarships to study at the University of Wollongong. Tayla Hogno, of Barrack Heights, and Jai Thompson, of Stanwell Park were named as the inaugural recipients.

Cr Bradbery, who is the event's patron, said it was important to keep the Anzac spirit alive.

"In Australia you can be religious or non-religious, you can express your ideas through freedom of speech and have opportunities to prosper, and all those things are what I consider part of the Anzac legacy," Cr Bradbery said.

Tickets for the Anzac lunch are now on sale through Ticketmaster.