An Overdue Word From Watto

Well it has been a long time between drinks (for some that is) however there has been a lot happening behind the scenes. Firstly we must tender our apologies. As Larraine and I will be up in Exmouth caravanning having a break from the cold weather as well as other members of the Executive having some family matters to deal with, we will have to defer our next Progress meeting from Saturday August 3^rd 2013, to Saturday September 21st 2013 at 1000 hours at our Community Centre. I know that you will understand this predicament, along with most of other grey nomads being up north or away elsewhere on holiday. Marion will send out a reminder email when getting closer to this new meeting date. 

Our community along with the Shire of Waroona have been very busy with the Coastal Revegetation  Planting from the Beach, Preston Beach Entry Statement along the walk

Trail and the temporary fenced off holding area between the 5^th fairway and lake. Special mention must go to Denis King for his time and effort in coordinating this project, members of Progress and members of the Preston Beach Golf Club for their support and work ethics.

The 'mulching crew'.  Hard work deserves a reward!

 

We recently witnessed the opening of the new Preston Beach Fire Station which had a large gathering of locals, and fire brigade personnel from near and far. Progress where handed the keys to the old fire shed and we have already put it to good use with our recent Christmas in July event – Photographs of this event and the opening of the new fire station will be forthcoming in our next Blog addition.

This year’s ANZAC Day held on April the 25^th, 2013 at our Preston Beach Community Centre, ANZAC Memorial Wall was very well attended by some 65 local and transient Community members. This day is an important opportunity for us to pay tribute to those Australians and New Zealanders who experienced war, fought and died in many fields of actions around the world, so that others could live in freedom. This year’s ANZAC key note presentation was a true family contribution called “The Lost Diggers” and was presented by Vice President Judy Carroll, her daughter Ange Bassett-Scarfe and Ange’s son Isaac.

I have invited Judy to write a summative story on The Lost Diggers, which you will find to be very interesting.

It was a very opportune time to be invited to give the ANZAC Day key note address and a great privilege to share our story with so many people. 

A little more than two years ago a story aired on the Sunday program on channel seven called The Lost Diggers.  It was a defining moment for our family as we would soon discover the 'cover boy', the young digger they had dubbed 'The Handsome Digger" was soon to be identified as my grandfather Jim Holland.  I say it was opportune because the book The Lost Diggers was released earlier this year giving me a great platform for an address.

Jim Holland had served with the 28th Battalion, 7th Machine Gun Corp in Gallipoli, France and Belgium. With the help of War Historian Peter Burness of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, we were able to trace Jim's movements to the little town of Vignacourt in France where a photographer named Louis Thuillier had set up a makeshift studio in his barnyard and was busy capturing amazing images of Aussie diggers, taking time off from the front line on glass plates.  At the end of the war these plates were stored in trunks and placed in the attic of the barn where they were to remain undiscovered until investigative journalist Ross Coulthard, following a hunch, uncovered them in late 2010.

It is believed that amongst the thousands of glass plate negatives are the last images of hundreds of diggers who marched from Vignacourt to the battle of the Somme where so many perished.  Young men who were denied the opportunity to leave behind a legacy, never married, never had children and therefore have no descendants who can say 'he was my grandfather,' and I find this the most poignant thing of all.  This is why the book is so important. So that we can now look upon these images and say 'I don't know these men, but they all have a place in history".

It was this sense of finding a place for them that made it appropriate to relate the story of the discovery and the subsequent TV show and publication of the images at the ANZAC Day commemorations as it is about remembering the men and women who fought, suffered, faced daily perils and hardships and in too many cases, died fighting for our right to live in freedom and peace.  What better way to honour those soldiers than a magnificent book of rare photographs. 

My daughter Angelee joined with me to tell the modern part of the story; the story about how my grandfather's image suddenly appeared all over Facebook and how Ross Coulthard had been urged to start the Facebook page The Lost Diggers in the first place by his twelve year old daughter.  He had been searching for a way to share the photographs with as many people as possible in the hope some of the diggers would be identified.  By March 2013 over 100 men had been claimed by families, including our Jim (as my grandson calls him).  The idea exploded and suddenly the whole of Australia were searching through the photographs for loved ones and family members.

The discovery of the photo of Jim came about just a few weeks before my father and his twin sisters' 90th birthday.  Dad had told us he didn't want a fuss so it became a bit awkward when I had to tell him not only was he having a party to celebrate, but the a television crew would be there!  Once he realised the fuss was not so much about him, but about his father he was very humbled and very proud; the TV crew came, and the second part of The Lost Diggers story was revealed to the world.

The best part of the story was to come when Kerry Stokes finalised negotiations to purchase the precious collection of glass plates and bring them to Australia, donating them to the National War Memorial where they are now on exhibit.

Judy Carroll 

 

Isaac reads an original verse copied from the side of a WW1 trench by his great grandfather Jim Holland

Thanks Judy, I think that on the day another touching ANZAC story which was written and presented by 11 year old Nicolas Baxter, the grandson of local resident Gail Alford called “What ANZAC Means To Me”, was very well received and impressed all at our Service, and to me shows that the youth of today are prepared to carry on the true tradition and spirit of ANZAC.

Nicolas Baxter presents "What ANZAC Day means to me"

Nicolas Baxter

John Watson with Peter Eastlake, Vietnam Veteran who recited the Ode

A big thanks must go to Army Cadet Corporal Nicole Bottrill, our guard of honour,  and her mother and father for making the journey to Preston Beach for our ANZAC service.

 

Following the ANZAC Service everyone was invited to a sausage sizzle, tea, coffee and/or something stronger at our Community Centre. Then at 1200 hours (midday) we had our own bayonet charge, after a few drinks we watched the ANZAC AFL Football match of the day on our large screen - but sadly lost the sound. However that didn’t stop us from having a great day as usual. The sound system was fixed by purchasing a new DVD/HD digital set top box. Enjoy the rest of the photographs which depict the day that was - Photographs courtesy of Denis King.

 

Cheers

John Watson APM

President of Preston Beach

Progress Association