New RSL NSW president Mick Bainbridge says the community needed to come back together again for Anzac Day.
Sunshine, marching bands, flags to wave, a military flypast and a good dose of patriotism. What’s not to like?
“It’s a great turnout. Sydney has had a broken heart for a few weeks. It is really good to see the community come together for Anzac Day,” he said after the service. Vietnam veteran Bob Dean, wearing his service medals and his father and grandfather’s medals, at the Anzac Day dawn service in Martin Place.His grandfather was George Robert Dobson, who served in Sudan in 1896, the Boer War and World War I, and was mentioned in dispatches signed by Winston Churchill. He was heavily decorated but exactly for what remains unclear.
His father was Roly Dean, who served in World War II and was taken as a prisoner of war after being captured in Singapore. He was operated on by a Japanese doctor, one of seven men to be operated on that particular day. Only two survived. Did he walk away with physical and mental scars? “Yes. A bit of both. You can’t help that. You never know that you have got it until much later sometimes,” said Dean
Wheelchair-bound Valerie Blackett Ireland, aged 99, is ready. “I was a gunner in the anti-aircraft based in Newcastle,” she said. She’s been on 25 marches before. Did she think about giving it a miss this year? “No. I’m here for my mates. I’m the only one left,” she says without hesitation.
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