Military

"Could we have come to the end of wars? Could we be the first civilisation to not have enemies? To not have something, someone else wants?"

Kendall Jennings. When the birthday ballot forcefully selected healthy 20-year-old men for compulsory two years’ military service and a further three years on a reserve list under the National Service Act of 1964 for the Vietnam conflict, it set forth a mateship that has not altered in 50 years. On Saturday, April 25, former Two Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) met on the towns located on the banks of the mighty Murray River, Barham and Koondrook, to pay homage at the Anzac Day services.

Emma Pritchard. More than 100 people gathered at the Ramornie cenotaph on April 24 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong, which raged for three days during the Korean War, 1950 – 1953 ... A special plaque designed by the late Major Bob Hayes as a tribute to those who served during the Korean War was consecrated by the Reverend Canon Camellia Flanagan as members of the Hayes family stood close by.

In 1865, a boy named Henry – later known as Harry –was born in Tabulam. That boy grew up to be General Sir Harry Chauvel and he was the first Australian to attain the rank of lieutenant general and later general and the first to lead a corps – as commander of the Desert Mounted Corps. At Beersheba in October 1917, his Light Horse troops used speed, surprise and bayonets to capture the town and its vital water supply in history’s last great cavalry charge.

Anzac Day in Sydney in 2021 saw the unthinkable occur. The 7th Division Banner was not marched. This is the Division of the Australian Army that fought the Kokoda Track. This is the banner that in recent years was preceded by a jeep in which sat a representative of the New Guinea Highland tribes who provided the ‘fuzzy wuzzy’ angels. It made the news every night of Anzac Day in the past decade. Not a mention of this momentous event.

Brigadier Mark Ascough was awarded his border protection medal while posted in Weipa and was chuffed to see young Private Edward Nelson Sigai awarded his. Brigadier Ascough was the guest of honour at Napranum’s Anzac Day service and reflected fondly on his time at Weipa and the Western Cape.

Private Edward Nelson Sigai said he felt “pretty proud” to be awarded the Australian Operational Service Medal for Border Protection in front of his community on Anzac Day. The 23-year-old is a Napranum local and went to school at Western Cape College ... The quietly spoken soldier said he hoped he could inspire others in the community to join the Defence Force and serve their community and country.

Kendall Jennings. In April 1996, I joined the Australian Army Reserve, 8th/7th Royal Victorian Regiment Charlie Company Headquarters Swan Hill. I served for four years, three as an administration clerk and one year as a driver. I had the chance to travel around Australia and play soccer for the Australian Army. When I went to transfer to Regular Army with my friends, unfortunately, I was made non-deployable and forced to be medically discharged. The people I served with over the years are life friends. One person I am incredibly proud of is Tamie Andrew. She enlisted into the Australian Army Reserve in 1997, as a combat storeman. In 2006, she transferred to the Australian Regular Army as a cargo specialist.

A Casino man lied about his age to enlist in the army in World War II. He was 17 but said he was 21. Private Raymond Leslie Geraghty was captured by the Imperial Japanese military and held in Singapore’s Changi Prison on February 15, 1942. With five other men, he stole a boat and attempted to escape.

After nearly 20 years of waiting, a rare World War II artefact has finally been restored to its former glory and unveiled to the public. The 40mm Bofur gun – one of only 11 produced during the wartime year of 1942 – has been part of the Whyalla Maritime Museum collection since the early 1990s, desperately awaiting restoration due to age-related deterioration.

When it was built in 1924, the Rockhampton War Memorial was the largest and most expensive war memorial to be built in Queensland, outside of Brisbane. The plants surrounding the spire are symmetrically apart at precisely 30 °– this allows the daylight shadow cast by the spire to cross the encircling palms like the hour hand of a clock from sunrise to sunset

The Finch family are thrilled the Australian War Memorial has accepted their father's medals for display. The medals of Kyogle's Frederick Bradley Finch OAM, known...