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SPECTACULAR:
A Navy Seahawk helicopter hovers over Lake Burley Griffin
demonstrating its capabilities for the Canberra crowd.
In the background is the High Court of Australia.
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Photo: Kevin Piggott
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By
Andrew Stackpool and LCDR Antony Underwood
In Canberra, Navy officers and sailors moved through the veterans’
enclosure around Lake Burley Griffin to meet and care for the
some 3000 World War II veterans and their families celebrating
VP Day.
Defence supported a major effort by the Department of Veterans
Affairs to bring veterans to the National Capital on the 60th
anniversary of the end of WWII for an official ‘thank you’ for
their sacrifice for our emerging nation.
The ‘thank you’ included an ecumenical church service, an air,
lake and static spectacular on Sunday, August 14.
A major ceremony followed the next morning involving the Federation
Guard, Navy and Royal Military College bands at the Australian
War Memorial.
The service mirrored that which followed the announcement by
(then) Prime Minister Ben Chifley on August 15, 1945, that the
war was over.
Many VIPs including the Governor General, Prime Minister and
Leader of the Opposition attended and paid tribute to those
to whom Australians owe their current way of life.
Apart from place of honour at the lake end of Anzac Parade on
the Sunday, the veterans were treated to a parade of WWII and
current aircraft of the ADF, including from HMAS Albatross’s
inventory – an 816 SQN Seahawk helicopter, an 805 SQN Super
Seasprite and a stunning, synchronized helicopter display by
a pair of Squirrels from 723 SQN.
RAN clearance divers braved three degree water temperatures
in the lake for a demonstration of their silent skills, punctuated
by the rattat- tat of blank-firing machine guns and pyrotechnic
explosions.
Some parachuted to the surface while others fast-roped or jumped
from low-flying helicopters. But it was the veterans’ day and
the rapidly thinning ranks of those who could remember back
60 years to 1945 enjoyed the spectacle.
Many were frail and on crutches and canes. But they all seemed
bright of eye, had uplifted chins, backs just that bit straighter
and chests with rows of medals gleaming in the afternoon sun.
They were not alone and the young men and women of the current
ADF, including many in Navy rig mingled with them swapping yarns
and listening to reminiscences.
The WWII veterans and many from more recent conflicts had a
common bond – medals – but, while the WWII vets wore campaign
medals from Pacific and other theatres, the younger veterans’
medals told of tours to Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam.
And those currently serving wore medals showing tours of East
Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq. School Cadets too – perhaps improperly
attired in part-uniform – turned out wanting to ‘be there’.
There were backslaps, jokes, smiles, laughter, tall tales, medals,
ribbons and comradeship.
The common thread between senior and junior veterans was bonhomie
– generosity of spirit and mutual interest in where they’d been
and what they’d done – in an atmosphere captured so eloquently
by Shakespeare in Henry V – “We few, we happy few, we band of
brothers” (and sisters).
While Navy, Army and Air Force aircraft – some spanning more
than 60 years of aviation history – sped in formations across
the lake, an estimated 100,000 people swarmed over an extensive
series of static displays.
