Anzac Centenary Was Unforgettable

April 29, 2015

by Deb Frecklington

Thank You, Nanango!

As our community’s elected representative, honours are often given to Members of Parliament to officiate at major ceremonies and events.

But no higher honour has been given to me in my three years in this role than being chosen to address the Anzac Day Dawn Service in Nanango.

The men and women of the Nanango Remembrance Committee worked tirelessly for the last 12 months to ensure the day went off without a hitch, and it did.

The pride I have in this group of people is immeasurable.

Every day mums and dads, many of whom have fought for us and returned, and are still battling demons that penetrate their dreams.

But their work for the Anzac Centenary – and for the many, many years before that – helps the next generation understand the past, in the hope that history does not repeat itself.

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School Support Very Welcome

As everyone is aware, the number of school children marching increased again this year.

I congratulate all our local schools for the effort and recognition that they rightly give to Anzac Day.

The smiling faces of our school children are an absolute pleasure to the returned service men and women, and serve as a reminder that their efforts were for this very reason: to create happy, carefree children living at peace in a free nation.

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A Moving Morning In Yarraman

Standing with World War II Veteran Bomber Commander Paul Tunn again this year at the magnificent Yarraman cemetery, I was reminded about how fortunate my own life is as the State Member for Nanango.

I was called upon to read the list of returned soldiers buried in that place.

As I did so I could see the sheer determination of Mr Tunn’s face, and I felt the pressure of his eyes upon me as behind them he remembered all those that now lay in peace – old mates who, I am sure, relayed many yarns of days at war, and the loss of mates who didn’t return.

Yarraman cemetery stands atop a ridge on the road to Kooralgin.

It overlooks sorghum paddocks, and in the spectacular morning light I can honestly say there is no other place in the world I would rather have been standing than with a serviceman from World War II and our Vietnam Veterans.

They helped me remember those who fought gallantly to enable us – 100 years later – to live in a country that is relatively peaceful and free from dictators and oppression.

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Let’s Not Forget Our Vietnam Vets

At the gunfire breakfast in Yarraman I met a Vietnam Veteran who was conscripted while his twin was left at home to help on the farm.

This gentleman talked of his days in Vietnam and the life he now lives near Blackbutt, troubled by memories and with no desire to visit the country he once fought in.

Given the two years this man gave to Australia, fighting and living in terrible conditions, I feel as though he should have been held up on a pedestal for all to see.

Instead, our Vietnam veterans returned home without the due recognition they deserved, and continue to be haunted by the terrors they faced while serving their country.

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I Remember, Too …

Everyone has a connection to war, and this Anzac Day I dedicated my thoughts to Mr Keith Waldron, who fought in World War II.

He had to leave his pregnant wife and returned from war to a three year old and a wife who had been working hard selling meat pies in their country town to make enough money to get by.

But that is a story for another day – and may he rest in peace.

Lest we forget.

• Read more Deb’s Diary columns

[Photos: Nanango Electorate Office, southburnett.com.au and Clive Lowe Photography]

  Kingaroy, Nanango, Yarraman