They shall grow not old

DURING last year, 12 per cent of surviving World War II veterans passed on.
Next year the percentage of those old soldiers who die will be higher.
And the year after higher still.
They take their memories with them and leave some stories never told because they were too traumatic to speak of.
A new crop of returned veterans is emerging from Australia’s experiences in places such as Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and East Timor.
Fewer in numbers, but with experiences in some cases just as traumatic.
Modern warfare can see a soldier taken from a battlefield and within hours expected to re-adapt to life as we all know it in suburbia.
From shooting at enemy soldiers, dodging landmines, shot at, or bombed, to a situation where the worst that can happen is having to dodge traffic on our streets.
During the Casey gunfire breakfast on Saturday, and a discussion about the Vietnam War Museum at Phillip Island, one Vietnam veteran said quietly: “I’ll have to pluck up the courage to go and see it.”
No doubt, because he was a support engineer, he will see things that trigger vivid memories of his time in the Vietnam War.
But I feel sure he will make the pilgrimage.
These emotions are part of the high price of any war, win or lose.
One eight-year-old placed a wreath on the Berwick Cenotaph with a message: “Thank you for my freedom.”
I estimated that more than 1000 people attended the dawn service at the Narre Warren Memorial Gates and 2000 people were at the Berwick Cenotaph for the 11am Anzac Day Service.
The Rotary Club of Narre Warren served 300 meals to guests at the free gunfire breakfast held in the Casey Civic Centre.
The breakfast started 26 years ago after the often moved war memorial gates were shifted to a site near the Casey ARC.
They were later moved to the front of the civic centre to make way for the ARC.
Berwick RSL president Les Lucas said former Rotarian and World War II veteran Harry Oakes and another member, Keith Dunbar, suggested during work to move the gates, that the Rotary Club of Narre Warren hold a gunfire breakfast after the dawn service.
“This became a regular event.
“Harry, a past president and past district governor of Rotary, and past president of Berwick RSL, died during the year.
“His son, Russell, a Vietnam veteran is here this morning.
“Berwick RSL is proud to be involved with Rotary for this day,” he said.
Rotary Club of Narre Warren president Ian Pickering said Rotary members took pride and pleasure from working with the RSL for the breakfast.
He said it was wonderful to see so many young people present at the Anzac Day services and said the Fountain Gate Secondary College was a strong supporter of the breakfast.
RSL secretary George Nicholson said Australians’ tradition of support for each other was again seen on Black Saturday when Country Fire Authority (CFA) volunteers put their lives on the line to battle one of the worst bushfire events Victoria had experienced.
“We saw them fight to preserve our way of life and help each other,” he said.
The CFA was acknowledged for its contribution when Berwick Fire Brigade captain Alan Boyd was invited to be guest speaker at the 11am service in Berwick.
Reverend Ron Peterson also mentioned the CFA volunteers alongside our soldiers when he delivered the prayer.
And a large number of community groups laid wreaths at the Berwick Cenotaph.
These in turn represented thousands in our community who gave thought not only to those who died on the battlefield, but to those who placed their lives at risk in battle and those who provided support for soldiers at the front.
Present-day soldiers gave those at the ceremony a taste of what a battle could be all about when they fired two blank rounds from their rifles.
Despite warnings that this would occur, people in the crowd jumped with shock from the noise. Think of the soldiers in battle who hear those shots for hours on end, and who suffer the added knowledge that one, they may not hear.
The saying among soldiers is that you don’t hear the shot that gets you. Neither can they hear the messages of gratitude given on Anzac Day each year because the freedom they gave us came after their shot was fired.