A late Vietnam veteran's service medals discovered during a clean-up operation after the Queensland floods have been returned to his family and will be paraded on Anzac Day.
"They say he was a great person to have standing behind your back, but didn't mind a cold drink on a hot day."Mr McDonald intends to meet his father's friend, Richard Hawkins, who played a part in linking him to the medals.
Mr Hawkins said he was the best man at Blue's wedding, and was in and out of touch with him throughout his life."Blue then vanished off the scene … [But] we then got posted to the same battalion," Mr Hawkins said. "He was probably a bit of an enigma, he was definitely a really likeable rogue … he was just a scallywag."Mr McDonald said the medals have also brought him closer to his 11-year-old daughter Ella in teaching her about the family history.
He said replica medals were ordered for Ella to wear in the Anzac Day march this year until the real ones turned up. "The coincidence for me was that Ella and I had never discussed walking in Anzac Day until this year," Mr McDonald said.
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