Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Dad served in the Middle East and in Papua New Guinea during World War II. He was a pharmacist in civilian life, so served in a medical capacity during the war. He was once mentioned in dispatches for securing a food supply (breadfruit) in the jungle, based on his knowledge of North Queensland conditions, where he grew up. He and some mates were surprised by a party of Japanese soldiers on the Kokoda Track, while they were bathing in a pool or river. I am unsure how they escaped from that situation.
In his career he achieved a rank as high as captain at one stage.
He had some shrapnel scars in his lower legs as a result of the war.
Dad lived to the age of 89, and was a father I was proud of. He had a larrikin's sense of humour that I have inherited.
After the war he managed a sugar cane plantation in Fiji for some years, before returning to Sydney, where he worked in an executive position as a pharmacist for a government department. The house I grew up in Hurstville was one he bought after winning the right to buy it in a lottery situation as housing was so scarce. He (and I) became lifelong St George supporters.