Post by corsair5517 on Aug 18, 2014 9:26:37 GMT 12
I was lucky enough to spend a few hours with a friend of Dads at his retirement village last week and learned that the Australian forces there didn't come home until about January 1946; they stopped on to repatriate the Japanese, according to Cec. He told of picking up a Japanese officer in a Wirraway for a short hop to wherever this particular surrender was to be made, and worrying all the way about the Jap in the back!!
Amongst many other adventures thst were recounted, Cec also flew the official RAAF photographer around Bougainville and has some absolutely fabulous photographs; I only have photocopies of some of these and they don't scan well, so my apologies that I cannot share them but I will keep trying to get a decent scanned result should there be any interest.
Now, my father is 91 and sharp as a tack - he tacked a visit to us onto a golfing tour of the Sunshine Coast!! - but the frailty of age was evident in Cec who is a year or two younger than Dad, and not too long ago lost his wife, which has perhaps added to the encroaching dementia; while still pretty clear in recall of his photograph albums, his mental gears were clearly slipping a bit; please, people, if you know a veteran, go and have a yarn with them; I learned so much from Cec and once again, Dad came up with a few anecdotes that have never been shared before, some of which were a little chilling!!
Once Cec recognised Dad - he hadn't seen him sice the late 90s - , his entire demeanour changed and he was just so pleased to see him, and my daughter and me as well!! I count myself lucky to have been able to spend time with Cec and will certainly try to get back down there again before the inevitable happens!!
Amongst many other adventures thst were recounted, Cec also flew the official RAAF photographer around Bougainville and has some absolutely fabulous photographs; I only have photocopies of some of these and they don't scan well, so my apologies that I cannot share them but I will keep trying to get a decent scanned result should there be any interest.
Now, my father is 91 and sharp as a tack - he tacked a visit to us onto a golfing tour of the Sunshine Coast!! - but the frailty of age was evident in Cec who is a year or two younger than Dad, and not too long ago lost his wife, which has perhaps added to the encroaching dementia; while still pretty clear in recall of his photograph albums, his mental gears were clearly slipping a bit; please, people, if you know a veteran, go and have a yarn with them; I learned so much from Cec and once again, Dad came up with a few anecdotes that have never been shared before, some of which were a little chilling!!
Once Cec recognised Dad - he hadn't seen him sice the late 90s - , his entire demeanour changed and he was just so pleased to see him, and my daughter and me as well!! I count myself lucky to have been able to spend time with Cec and will certainly try to get back down there again before the inevitable happens!!
