Len Pomeroy’s hardly missed an Anzac Day march in 70-odd years, and he’s not about to spoil his track record now.
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With his medals polished and a spring in his step, the 95-year- old World War II digger will march the route to the Terang cenotaph on Wednesday where he will reflect and remember the fallen.
Among those in his thoughts will be his five brothers, all of whom served, all of whom he has outlived.
Such a remarkable contribution by the Terang family is acknowledged on a plaque in the Terang RSL memorial garden. Inside, Len’s war memorabilia, and that of his brothers John, Charles, George, William and Edward, will soon go on show in a glass display cabinet.
The oldest member of the local RSL and its only WWII veteran, Mr Pomeroy served as a sapper in Papua and New Guinea. His family’s story is just one of the many in the branch’s rich history.
It’s a history president Steve Bloxham is passionate about preserving and honouring.
In the four years since moving to the district from Brisbane, the retired naval officer has made it his mission to keep alive the stories of the district’s men and women who served their country.
“When I came here it was a meeting place only,” Mr Bloxham recalled of the branch hall. “I wanted to resurrect it. It would have been lost otherwise.”
As a member of a Belgian battlefields archaeological group involved in World War I digs, he knows a thing or two about piecing together the tales of battles past.
First taking on the role of branch memorabilia officer and then president three years ago, Mr Bloxham has gone a long way to achieving his vision.
For his efforts, he was last year awarded the prestigious annual Shrine of Remembrance Medal recognising his work in promoting the contribution of war veterans in the community.
Two of his initiatives, a replica World War I digger’s dugout, which complements the communications dugout built last year, and a refurbished kitchen dedicated to the branch’s former women’s auxiliary, and disabled toilet facilities will be officially opened on Anzac Day by Polwarth MLA Richard Riordan and Wannon MP Dan Tehan respectively.
A museum and a memorial garden complete with murals, bench seats and plantings to honour those who served, have also been initiated on Mr Bloxham’s watch.
“It’s now a showcase for those who served in the area as well as those who made the supreme sacrifice,” he said.
While the Great War diggers are now long gone, for Mr Bloxham, educating the younger generation about their sacrifices is key to keeping their memories alive.
He has curated an impressive collection of artefacts, most of which has been donated since his arrival.
Precious pieces like Private Albert Long’s original diary detailing the Gallipoli landing, Sergeant Douglas Blackburn’s military medal awarded in 1918 for bravery at Ascension Wood in France and Beersheba hero Trooper Charles Wilkinson’s ‘Anzac Book’ are prominently displayed.
Wall displays tell more stories of wartime service, along with collections of military books, paintings, recruiting posters, photos and the trunk Terang nursing sister Sheila Ditty brought home from New Guinea in 1945.
But perhaps the piece de resistance of the refurbishment is the dugout experience, believed to be the only one in Australia inside an RSL hall.
Mr Bloxham said the dugouts provided an added dimension to the museum and an important educational component which was already been well utilised by local schools.
The latest, constructed in what was previously the hall’s disused bar, recreates the rudimentary shelters typically used by WWI soldiers, complete with a tunnel leading outside.
Aptly called “Anzac Rest”, the dugout will soon be equipped with a multimedia system to screen battlefields footage, thanks to a $5000 grant just announced under the Victoria Remembers grants program.
Mr Bloxham also plans to extend the experience with the addition of an outdoor trench.
The branch’s current membership of about 25 represents a range of conflicts from World War II to Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, with national servicemen also represented.
Husband and wife members and relative newcomers to town, Andrew and Megan Hyatt are veterans of more recent conflicts. During his 10 years of army service, Mr Hyatt was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan while Mrs Hyatt served as a medic on deployment to Afghanistan.
The couple have been active supporters of the branch since settling in Terang in 2013 with Mr Hyatt scheduled to marshall both Anzac Day marches on Wednesday.
Also representing the younger generation will be 17-year- old member, bagpiper Liam King who will play at the dawn service.
In a first for Terang, Mr Bloxham said the Aboriginal flag would be raised at the dawn service as a mark of respect to those Aborigines who are also part of the Anzac legend.