Michelle Daw, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

The story of John Atkinson, the digger who died on the way to his local Anzac dawn service last week, has captured the hearts of thousands of Australians — and his family and friends have spoken about the larrikin Aussie who did things his own way right to the end.

Mr Atkinson, 98, died at about 6.30am, 200 metres from the dawn service site at Port Broughton foreshore lawns, after suffering a medical episode while riding his gopher.

Port Broughton RSL sub-branch immediate past president Alan Stead announced Mr Atkinson’s passing at the service.

Son Russell Atkinson said he had offered to take his dad by car to the dawn service, but he was determined to get there under his own steam.

He said his dad was particularly looking forward to this Anzac Day, as he had been on the front page of the Yorke Peninsula Country Times on Tuesday, April 23.

“The last thing I said to him was, you’d better take a pen to sign all those autographs,” Russell said.

Mr Atkinson served in World War II as a transport driver with the 13th Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force, working at bases including northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines, where he witnessed countless Japanese bombing raids and machine-gun raids, known as strafing.

He enlisted as soon as he could after turning 18 in September, 1943, and was not discharged until June 1946 due to illnesses he suffered during his war service.

Despite the sadness of losing a loved one, Russell said it was fitting that he passed away on Anzac Day.

“I couldn’t conjure up a better way for him to go,” he said.

“Anzac Day was his big day of the year.” 

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 30 April 2024.