JOHNSTON, Gavin
| Service Number: | N383717 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 February 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 17th (NSW) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) |
| Born: | Hay, New South Wales, Australia, 23 July 1912 |
| Home Town: | Hay, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Hay War Memorial High School, Hay, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Journalist |
| Died: | Hay, New South Wales, Australia, 10 September 1977, aged 65 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Hay General Cemetery, New South Wales, Australia |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 1 Feb 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Corporal, N383717, 17th (NSW) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Sep 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Corporal, N383717, 17th (NSW) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Is Abbott
Gavin Johnston was the editor of The Riverine Grazier from the time of the death of his father, John Johnston OBE, in 1939.
During WW2 he remained in Hay serving in the Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC). He was active in the unit, regularly attending parades and shooting practices.
In his role as editor and proprietor of the newspaper, Gavin sought to offer what support he could in a range of ways. The local 'internee camp' holding German born jews developed their own form of currency, the Hay Internment Camp Notes, which Gavin printed. This activity came to the attention of Treasury, and a couple of staff members were sent to The Riverine Grazier to comfiscate the printing plates.
Throughout the war Gavin also wrote a regular monthly letter to the locals deployed to the war effort. These were forwarded in parcels, and by families to loved ones. At the end of the war when news was filtering through of the Prisoners of War held in Thailand and Japan, Gavin arranged for each returing POW to receive a bound copy of all letters lovingly and carefully reproduced by local women with typing skills. These letters are known as the 'Dear Diggers Letters', and the bound copy titled 'What's Been Going on in the Old Home Town of Hay!'.