Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this month we commemorated the 75th anniversary of victory in the Pacific bringing an end to the Second World War. 15 August 1945 was marked with celebration as peace was secured. Almost one million Australians served our nation, while millions more supported the war effort at home. Today we are fortunate to have around 12,000 veterans of the Second World War still with us. In our first week back in parliament since this anniversary I'm honoured to share the stories of some of the local heroes in the electorate of Lindsay who served in the Pacific theatre. David Trist OAM demonstrates a lifelong commitment to service and his mates. Prior to enlisting David served in the cadets and the volunteer defence force. During the Second World War David served in the 58th/59th Battalion in Papua New Guinea in the Salamaua area. It was a slow and grinding campaign in an exhausting climate and difficult terrain. To protect the base at Salamaua the Japanese established strong defensive positions in the hills to the east and advanced inland. The Australian War Memorial reports that, between March 1943 and April 1944, some 1,200 Australians were killed in New Guinea while an estimated 35,000 Japanese died.

After the war David embarked on a successful and well-respected career in banking at the local St Marys branch, but he never stopped serving. David's local RSL branch in St Marys nominated him for the Commemorative Medallion and Certificate of Commemoration and are rightly proud to have had David as a member for many years.

Penrith resident Robert Lang served in the Royal Australian Navy. Robert was a coast watcher in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It was an extremely dangerous mission behind enemy lines to broadcast to allied headquarters the movement of enemy ships, planes and troops. These reports were vital to keeping Australian and American forces in the Pacific theatre informed of potential Japanese assaults and offensives. After the Second World War, Robert continued to serve his country as an instructor and served in Vietnam, eventually retiring with the rank of warrant officer.

John Rattenbury served in Unit 2 of the 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion. He served in the Aitape-Wewak campaign, an offensive campaign against the Japanese in northern New Guinea. In the difficult conditions progress was slow but steady. Australian casualties in the campaign amounted to 442 killed and 1,141 wounded. John's brothers also served and survived the war. One of them was captured at the fall of Singapore and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war.

Lillian Baldwin enlisted in the Australian Women's Army Service in March 1944. She was tasked with providing troops in Australia with their non-food equipment requirements. She was one of over 24,000 women who enlisted in the Australian Women's Army Service. They were the first women to serve in the ADF outside the medical and nursing field.

This year we have not been able to gather together in large numbers to remember and respect the service of so many to our country, but I'm proud to stand here today on behalf of my community to thank David, Robert, John and Lillian for their service. We would never be able to repay them for their service to our nation, but this is a small token of our appreciation from a grateful nation.

Earlier this year I reached out to our local veteran community to recognise Anzac Day. I was overwhelmed by the community response to sharing our local veterans' service and their messages for the future. Once again, at this important anniversary, it has been an honour to recognise our local veterans. Keeping these stories alive ensures that we will not forget their sacrifice. I look forward to continuing to work closely with our local veterans organisations. To all the local veterans, thank you for your service.