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As time passes, the number of Australians who have personally experienced war is becoming scarcer and scarcer, with all its horror and loss, but also with its sense of camaraderie and triumph.

With them will go their memories and understanding of the way conflict has affected our families and local communities. Out of these experiences came an array of memorabilia in the form of medals, photographs, artworks, diaries, letters, film, and an assortment of other artefacts. Each of these items is a commemorative reminder to following generations of this sacrifice.

The Seven Hills Toongabbie Wentworthville RSL Sub-Branch have been busy collecting wartime relics to expand its memorabilia display at the Seven Hills RSL Club. The project started 7 months ago when Joseph Bayssari (Seven Hills RSL General Manager), Graeme Quinn (Sub-Branch President), Peter Harrington (Sub-Branch Senior Vice President) and Peter Sparrow (Sub-Branch Minutes Secretary) went on a trip to Cowra to bid for extra memorabilia at an auction.

Mr Harrington admitted, “we got a bit carried away”, and was excited to unveil the display to the public. Some of the prize items that were purchased include Howitzer guns from WWII and the Vietnam War, a Weapons Carrier truck, light horses with original saddle bags from over 100 years ago and models of various war ships including one of the HMAS Derwent, a ship that Peter Harrington and other Sub-Branch Members served on.

Seven Hills RSL’s updated War Memorabilia Area is truly impressive and a very informative piece of Australian history. Chris Gammage (Sub-Branch Honorary Secretary) has gone the extra mile and worked tirelessly to research each memorabilia piece and provide a write-up for each display. In addition, the War Memorabilia Area features an animated touch screen kiosk allowing visitors to select a video tour of each war Australian has served in.

Curious to see the new attraction, the Hon. David Elliott, Minister for Veteran Affairs, and Mark Taylor MP, visited the Club on Friday 8 December to meet with the Sub-Branch Members and take a personal tour of the commemorative display.

Sub-Branch President Graeme Quinn says, “It is an honour to host the Hon. David Elliott and Mark Taylor and we welcome the local community to come and visit our updated Memorabilia Area. We have already formally hosted children from the 1st Balcombe Heights Club Scout Pack and invite any youth organisation to contact us for a guided tour. Guests of the Club are also encouraged to visit the display. It is important for us to preserve these pieces of Australian history and pass this information on to the next generation.”

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Gordon Graham was 14 when he lied about his age to sign up for the Australian army as World War II raged abroad.

He was swiftly kicked out after it was discovered he was under age, but he was determined to serve. At 15, he joined the Royal Australian Navy – this time his lie went undetected.

His motivation was simple: “My dad was in the army. If it was good enough for him, it was good enough for me,” Mr Graham said.

Now 90, Mr Graham was at Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL Club on Tuesday to commemorate the 72^nd anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day, the day that signaled the end of WWII.

The ceremony marked Japan’s surrender to the allied forces on August 15, 1945.

Veterans and families from Seven Hills-Toongabbie-Wentworthville RSL sub-branch paid their respects to the 40,000 gallant Australian men and women killed in the war.

Many of those died in the Pacific, fighting an enemy intent on invading Australia.

“There was 556 company on board…we copped a few aircraft carriers and bombers,” Mr Graham, who served on the HMAS Westralia, said.

“We were preparing for a landing in the Solomon Islands when they announced the end of the war.”

Sub-branch vice president Peter Harrington said there had been a “big push” from the Japanese to target Australia, which led to events like the infamous bombing of Darwin.

“Not too many celebrate [Victory in the Pacific Day],” Mr Harrington said. “It was a very important time. There were many lost lives.

“If things hadn’t gone as well for us in battles like the Battle of the Coral Sea, it could have been a disaster for Australia.

“It’s the difference between where the nation could have been. It changed history.”

The sub-branch has also been busy collecting wartime relics to expand its memorabilia display at the RSL club.

Mr Harrington said the sub-branch had got “a bit carried away” at an auction, and was excited to unveil the display to the public when it was finished.

Written by Heath Parkes-Hupton from the Blacktown Sun 

Seven Hills had one of its biggest attendances at an Anzac Day dawn service.

An estimated 4000 people went to the Cenotaph at Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL on Tuesday morning to pay their respects to Australian servicemen and servicewomen.

Among the large crowd was World War Two and Vietnam War veterans, who were among the 1200 people who participated in the 5am march.

Seven Hills-Toongabbie-Wentworthville RSL Sub-Branch president Graeme Quinn said the veteran’s appreciated the community’s strong support at the service.

“I’m very happy to see so many people show up,” he said.

“I would say it was as big as the 100th anniversary service [in 2015].

“The sub branch has put in a lot of effort to get young people involved and it was great to see a lot of younger people at the service.

“It is good to have families involved as it is important that the Anzac spirit never disappears.”

During the service, Lieutenant Mark Olssen from the Royal Australian Navy delivered the prologue.

Leading aircraftsman Aiden Pritchard of the Royal Australian Air Force presented the remembrance address.

Both men said Anzac Day is a time of reflection and remembrance.

“Some people say Anzac Day glorifies war, but any veteran would tell you that they never want to see war happen again,” Mr Pritchard said.

“It is a time to reflect on our freedom, and recognise those who have defended our freedoms.”

Veterans and members of the community made their way into the RSL after the service for breakfast and a beverage.
Written by Warren Thomson, Blacktown Sun

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The sacrifices of the Anzac’s are not lost on a group of youths from the Seven Hills RSL Youth Club.

As part of their yearly Anzac ceremonies, the sub-branch will hold a walk from Seven Hills train station to the Best Rd club’s cenotaph on Sunday when more than 200 young people are expected to commemorate the Anzac spirit.

This month, three members of the Seven Hills-Toongabbie-Wentworthville RSL youth club will join a group of 30 participating in an exchange program in New Zealand as part of their Anzac celebrations.

The trip will not just be a chance for them to see the usual tourist sights but also gain insight on the Anzac spirit from a Kiwi perspective.

Young athletes and sub-branch members Tamara Vella-Powell and Georgia Tabone said they were excited about the journey.

“I really want to see how they celebrate the Anzacs and what they do on the day,” 14-year-old Tamara said.

“My great-grandfather and my great-great-grandfather were both Anzacs, so it makes me feel closer to them to learn about what they went through.”

As part of the New Zealand trip the students will be billeted to local families, with their families back home using the walk and the RSL services as a chance to thank the Anzacs.

“All my friends that aren’t going on the tour know about the Anzacs and what they did for us and our country,” 15-year-old Georgia said.

“We always see soldiers and what’s happening overseas on TV and it just makes us so thankful that we have all the freedoms that we do.”

The pre-Anzac Day service will take place on Sunday at 1pm from Boomerang Place to the club.
 

Written by Maryanne Taouk, Blacktown Advocate

PAUL Coffey was 21 when he was conscripted in 1971 to head to the longest 20th century conflict in which Australia participated, the Vietnam War.

The now father of two fought in Vietnam in one of three battalions, each comprising 600 to 700 conscripts and soldiers.

“When we were called up, we were called up out of our everyday lives and thrown into the deep end. We came straight out of that and were thrown into a disciplined world,” Mr Coffey said.

“We were the cream of the crop, the young people. We were fit, healthy, young people who were trained up and changed.”

Mr Coffey was a telecommunications technician when he was forced into the “disciplined world”.

The Seven Hills RSL sub-branch member was deployed in Phuoc Tuy with the main base in the province’s central region, Nui Dat.

Fighting at such a young age meant the young Australian men were strongly reliant on their training.

“It was a fight or flight reaction. You stay there and fight rather than run away from it and that was what the discipline (training) was all about,” Mr Coffey said.

“Your brain was rewired so that it was reactive to violence instead of walking away from it.”

Almost 60,000 Australians served in Vietnam; 521 were killed and more than 3000 were wounded.

“We, the Australians, are the best jungle fighters in the world,’’ Mr Coffey said. “It’s what our enemies, our opponents, have said about us.

“We were well respected by the Vietcong and the Vietnamese Army … they were known to say, ‘we don’t like fighting against the Australian Army’.”

The struggle to identify the enemy made the Vietnam War “horrifying”, Mr Coffey said.

“ The First World War and the Second World War, you knew who you were fighting, but in Vietnam they were ordinary farmers and peasants during the day and then they’re out there playing soldier and causing havoc.”

Mr Coffey said soldiers were mistreated by Australia upon their return home.

“It wasn’t very nice — we weren’t accepted. We were told we didn’t go to war, we were ratified by the Labor government … we were spat at, paint was thrown at us, pigs’ blood. You name it, we got it. There was a lot of anti-war sentiment at that stage.’’

The now 67-year-old battles post-traumatic stress disorder, a product of the war that surfaced and “bit him in the neck” about 15 years after his return home.

However, Mr Coffey said ignorance of what occurred during the Vietnam War no longer existed and the Anzac spirit was alive and well.

“There’s no ignorance of the Anzac spirit anymore. People might not have taken it on board initially but schools are teaching it now and there is awareness of it,” he said.

Mr Coffey plans on meeting fellow Anzacs at the Anzac Day march through the Sydney city for the annual day of remembrance.
 

Written by Martha Azzi, Blacktown Advocate

John Burgess was 20 when he met Helen.

The love-struck pair spent one week together in Sydney before the young soldier shipped out to a RAAF base in Malaysia, where he provided support for Australia’s Vietnam War effort.Two years and 144 letters later, the pair were reunited. A week later they were married.

Their story sounds fitting of a Hollywood romance and, 53 years on, it’s still one Mr Burgess shares with pride.

As the vice president of Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL sub-branch, he’s also keen to see such stories passed on to future generations.

This month three members of the RSL youth club will join a group of 30 doing an exchange program in New Zealand.

The trip will not just be a chance for them to see the usual tourist sights, but also gain unique insight on the Anzac spirit from a Kiwi perspective.

Young athletes Daniel Taylor, Jason Mangion and Kaitlyn Waye said they are excited for the journey.

“I’m looking forward to the experiences we’ll be able to bring home and the stories we can share,” Kaitlyn, 14, said.

The youth club hosts a special service before Anzac Day each year to honour those who sacrificed for Australia. This year they expect 200 members to take part.

Sub-branch trustee Gordon Graham said he is happy to see the club’s youngest members getting involved in preserving the Anzac legacy.

Though the WWII veteran turned 90 today, he still takes part in the march every year.

“I’m the last bloke in NSW that marches with the HMAS Australia landing ship infantry. The rest are all the kids grown up with their dad’s medals,” Mr Graham said.

“I’ll march until I die. I’ll keep it going.”

Mr Graham said he has a second family at Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL sub-branch, as well as with the relatives of the men he served alongside.

Both groups give him an opportunity to speak honestly about the past, although he prefers to focus on good memories.

“You think of the happy things, not the bad things,” he said.

“You only think of the funny things. I’ve been an alcoholic three times, cured three times.”

The veterans, who both speak in schools around the area, said it was good to see the next generation still learning about the Anzac legacy and holding their own services.

“They’re teaching them properly,” Mr Graham said. “They do a bloody good job.”

The pre-Anzac Day service will take place at 1pm on Sunday, April 23. Seven Hills-Toongabbie-Wentworthville RSL sub-branch members will walk from Seven Hills train station to the club cenotaph at 108 Best Road.
 

Written by Harrison Vesey, Blacktown Sun

On Monday, Seven Hills state Liberal MP Mark Taylor presented the Seven Hills club for its contribution to the seniors community.

The recognition was part of the Local Seniors Achievement Awards Program.

The volunteer-run club meets each Monday as place for seniors to keep active and entertained when they take part in activities such as mobility exercises and enjoy lunch.

The seniors are entertained by singers, dancers and comedians as well as the traditional session of bingo.

Club members who can no longer drive are also provided with a complimentary bus service.

Seven Hills RSL Club marketing manager Jessica Reader said the club helped keep seniors active but also provided companionship “and a place to forget their worries’’.

The club meets each Monday between 9am and 1.10pm. It cost $5 for activities with morning tea and lunch.

Written by the Blacktown Advocate