REMEMBRANCE DAY this year in Portland will be paying special respect to veterans who have served in more recent conflicts that Australia has been involved in.
After the service on Friday at the Portland Memorial Triangle, the Portland RSL will be unveiling a plaque recognising veterans from the first and second gulf wars in Iraq, the Afghanistan war, and the peacekeeping mission in East Timor.
Although the November 11 date is the anniversary of the World War I Armistice it has grown to commemorate veterans from all wars, and Portland RSL branch secretary Bob Chandler said it was important to recognise the people involved in them all with the same respect.
“It’s an acknowledgement of all conflicts of war, the people that served, and their families.
“This year’s unique because we’ve got this plaque, and we’re going to have four participants from those conflicts attending, which we’re very proud of.
“The more recent conflicts have gone a bit more unnoticed, it’s important to recognise them, the people that served in them, and their families, and let them know that we’re here to support them all the way.”
To Afghanistan veteran Will Handbury, who lives in Heywood, Remembrance Day can be hard for him, but a worthwhile and important occasion.
“I can look to my left, look to my right, and there’s people there for me,” he said.
“It’s the same as if you were in a conflict, all you've got is the person next to you.
“You see that at a community event, regardless of gender, age, or anything, you’re surrounded by people that that care about you.
“If it wasn't for community-based stuff like that, we wouldn’t all be here.
“To me, that’s really powerful, and it reminds me that I went to Afghanistan for the bloke next to me, not anything else.”
“It’s a sad day, as it should be, but it’s important that we respect it, and the community comes together for that.”
Mr Handbury hopes the new plaque brings more attention to the service of his fellow veterans in those recent conflicts, and incorporates them more through these recognitions of the contributions and sacrifices made by veterans.
He said the RSL, and other veteran support organisations, have people who understand and are there to help, and Remembrance Day can be a good opportunity to connect with them.
“A lot of guys like me are like hermit crabs, we don’t like to come out much,” he said.
“We want to see veterans of my age group to come out more, I know from myself that it can be hard, a lot of us are shy, and a lot of us are afraid,” the 35-year-old said.
“A lot of us isolate too much, I know I used to.
“It took me a couple of months to get myself through the door and have a cuppa and talk.”
Reflecting on his time in Afghanistan during the Remembrance Day service brings up a lot for Mr Handbury.
“Mine was probably somewhat different to what other people may have experienced, I had the privilege to serve alongside (Victoria Cross recipient) Daniel Keighran, but Mentoring Task Force One (MTF1) was probably one of the worst trips we had since Vietnam.”
Mr Handbury completed a tour of Afghanistan in 2010, with six deaths and more than 40 casualties in the eight-month MTF1 deployment.
“We had a lot of memorials unfortunately for the deaths of soldiers over there as well, and that was treated just as seriously as any formal parade.
“I would love to encourage all veterans of all age groups to be more involved.
“It was about remembering and grieving, but also getting on with the job.”
Acknowledging Remembrance Day is a family tradition for Mr Handbury, but it has taken on extra meaning from his own service in the Australian Army.
Mr Handbury remembers his father wearing his grandfather’s World War II medals in the Anzac Day march in Heywood each year.
“It definitely meant a lot to him,” he said of his father.
“I always used to go down but I never did the march with dad then, so last year before he died of lung cancer I got to do the march with him, that was pretty significant to me.”
“The values around Remembrance Day are the building blocks of what we are as Australians today, I really believe that.”
This year’s Remembrance Day service will be held at the Portland Memorial Triangle from 10.30am.
Two students from Bayview College will be guest speakers, and wreaths will be laid at the war memorial by representatives of the various conflicts and peacekeeping missions the Australian Defence Force has been involved in over the years.
The Portland RSL will be selling Poppies during the week in front of supermarkets and other locations around town, raising funds to support veterans and their families.
Also recognising Remembrance Day this week, the Portland and District Defence Forces Graves Project will be continuing their work to find and acknowledge unmarked graves of people who served in World War I.
Displays to commemorate some of the people and their stories, will be at cemeteries in Portland South, Portland North, Narrawong and Cape Bridgewater.
Group Secretary Judy Compt said it is a mammoth amount of work, but they feel it is very important to not forget those from the area who were involved in the war.
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