Ninety-nine-year-old Mavis Wheeler, who marked Anzac Day this morning sitting in her wheelchair in the driveway of her Sydney care home, said the Last Post “brings back a lot of feelings".
She was a "telegraphist" during World War II, just one of six women allowed to do the job.
Their work is credited with helping intercept Japanese codes.
“They didn’t think women were capable of doing things in those days, so six of us were chosen to try us out,” Ms Wheeler told SBS News.
“They found we could do it.”
Australia's war veterans marked Anzac Day differently this year because of social-distancing rules. Source: SBS News
It’s a very different Anzac Day this year for Ms Wheeler, and the thousands of other veterans around Australia who won’t be attending normal dawn services, but instead small gatherings at a socially-safe distance.
Commemorating an unusual Anzac Day
Alongside Ms Wheeler, many of these vets stood on the roadside at RSL LifeCare’s Anzac Village in Sydney’s north, to listen to the Last Post.
Fred Lewis, 95, spent 35 years in the Royal Australian Navy and served in both WWII and Vietnam. A career navy man, he learned a lot of lessons whilst at war, but one sticks with him.
“The lesson I learned was war is futile, but one has to bear with that sort of thing,” he said.
He told SBS News while the services don’t look the same this year, he still uses the time to reflect.
“I feel very emotional because I do reflect on losing a lot of good shipmates in the navy.”
Fred Lewis, 95, and Rod Kingham, 94, both served in WWII. Source: SBS News
“When a ship goes down, it takes an awful lot of men with it,” he said.
'It's still a ceremony... just a lot less people'
Rod Kingham, a craftsman who also served in WWII, listened on in agreement.
He said even without the usual large-scale events, “it’s still a ceremony with a lot of feeling, just a lot less people".
When asked what his message to Australia was as the country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, his answer was simple: “hang in there.”
It’s the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII this year so it’s particularly special for those who fought in the deadliest war in history.
Of the 600,000 Australians who served during WWII, fewer than 3000 of them are believed to be still alive. It’s expected there will be no veterans left in a couple of years time.
‘We still remember’
Dorothy Curtis joined up to the army as soon as she turned 18.
Her father was at Gallipoli and she had a brother in Papua New Guinea, and another in Singapore being held as a prisoner of war under the Japanese.
She was one of very few female gunners at the time, but she said she joined up “because I was an Aussie… I just feel it’s what you did when you were young".
95-year-old Dorothy Curtis's father and brothers all served in the army. She said she decided to join because "she was an Aussie." Source: SBS News
Ms Curtis told SBS News she was supposed to be marching in the annual Anzac Day Parade today, something she does every year.
Instead, she’ll spend the day remembering.
“We still remember,” she said.
'Our soldiers fought when they had to, we will do the same'
As for Bobby Squire, a charismatic 98-year-old who worked as a mechanic and truck driver during WWII, she misses the action of Anzac Day.
It’s frightfully different, it’s subdued in every way. I’m not used to that sort of Anzac Day, there’s action and movement everywhere,” she lamented.
“Today we’re sitting and watching.”
But she admits the challenge the nation is facing is one one she’s “never seen before”.
She is adamant, just like in WWII, Australia will pull through.
“Let us get away from it, fight it, and stand up to be counted,” she said.
“Our soldiers fought when they had to. We will do the same.”
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others and gatherings are limited to two people unless you are with your family or household.
If you believe you may have contracted the virus, call your doctor (don’t visit) or contact the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. If you are struggling to breathe or experiencing a medical emergency, call 000.
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