Eighty years after the end of World War II, Australians have paused to reflect on the sacrifices made for peace. Commemorations for Victory in the Pacific (VP) Day were held across the nation on Friday, honoring those who served and fell.
In Melbourne, Maureen Bell proudly wore her father Bert Jones’s war medals at the Shrine of Remembrance. She recalled her dad, who served in New Guinea, often telling funny stories to ease the pain of his experiences.
“He said he was called Screamer because they would play AFL football in New Guinea,” she reminisced, later learning the nickname was due to his loud personality.
Despite her pride, Ms. Bell expressed a somber view on the state of the world today.
“It’s important to honor those that have gone before us and made incredible sacrifices,” she said.
“But we don’t seem to learn from it. We keep doing it unfortunately.”
At the Sydney service, Phil Ward honored his father, a survivor of internment and the Burma railway. He described the commemorations as a moment of “enduring gratitude” for those who defended freedom.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the nearly one million Australians who served, 40,000 of whom never returned. He called the war a “nightmare made real” by human beings.
RSL Victoria President Mark Schroffel noted the sorrow that accompanies the victory, remembering the “unsung heroes who never returned home.”
He emphasized the importance of preserving their memory, stating, “Nobody really wins.”
Australia played a vital role in the Pacific theater, initially fighting in Malaya and Singapore before focusing on the defense of the mainland after the bombing of Darwin in 1942.
Federal Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh described VP Day as marking the end of “the most devastating global conflict in human history.”
Source: Australian Associated Press