Above: War veterans answered questions as part of Victory Day commemorations. Pictured are Harry Hooper, Eddie Ham, Lyndale Primary School principal RBy Rebecca Fraser
WAR is a terrible thing there is no nice part to it and even the winners loose.
That was the message last Thursday when war veterans from the Dandenong, Noble Park and Springvale RSL came together with three local schools to answer questions about their experiences in war.
Students from Noble Park Secondary College, Lyndale Primary School and Wellington Secondary College asked the war veterans about their childhood, and what it meant to them to be Australian.
The interviews, held as part of this year’s Victory in the Pacific commemorations, were all filmed on video and are to be made into digital presentations to be shown at local schools and a special Victory Day lunch on 15 August.
Shadow minister for veteran affairs Allan Griffin facilitated funding for the project, with the Dandenong RSL receiving $3500 and the Noble Park RSL receiving $6500 through a Federal Government grant.
Jack Wade of the Dandenong RSL spoke to grade six students from Lyndale Primary School. He said war was shocking, not fun.
“You made good mates, but there were very bad times,” Mr Wade said.
“The conditions on the islands were atrocious.
“The fleas, the flies, the disease, the dengue fever, the malaria they were all killers and the lack of food was also very bad.
“The natives also had to carry the wounded on stretches they were in a pretty bad condition.”
Mr Wade also spoke about the loss of his youth and how he hoped young people would never have to experience the horrors of war like he did.
“It is not a nice place and I hate to think that we will ever have to go through it again,” he said.
“I was 20 when I was at war I missed my growing up time.”
Year nine Noble Park Secondary College student Tim Beech said Thursday’s interviews would help young people to see how exservicemen coped after they returned home from war.
“I want to hear from the diggers about how they coped during the war and how they felt when they got back to Australia, as well as the problems they faced when they got home,” Tim said.
Year nine Noble Park Secondary College student Debbie Thompson said she was interested in learning how the world of today compared with that the veterans experienced during the war.
Bill Tattersall, 81, of the Dandenong RSL said it was good for the “young ones” to get involved, but added it was important they did not paint “too good a picture” of war.
“When we were their age we thought war was a big adventure,” Mr Tattersall said.
“It is important to make sure that young people do not feel this way.”
World War II veteran Geoff Charters, 80, and president of the Springvale RSL agreed, saying it was good to get involved with young people because it meant stories of war and history would be passed to new generations.
