[dropcap]G[/dropcap]reg Warren is now in politics as the State Member for Campbelltown, but for 10 years he served in the Australian Defence Force. Mr Warren joined the Army in 1990 and was enlisted for just on 10 years. He began as an infantry soldier, then went on to do his marksman’s course and eventually became a paratrooper as well. He was injured during operations as a paratrooper, and spent his final couple of years in the Transport Corp as a non-commissioned officer. Greg Warren was awarded the Australian Defence Medal and a Commanding Officer’s Commendation for good conduct during his time. On the eve of Anzac Day 2018, Mr Warren reflects on this very special day:
One hundred years ago, the war to end all wars came to a halt.
After four years of brutality like nothing the world had ever seen, the guns stopped firing and the shells that had been incessantly raining down upon the battlefield ceased. 1918 was no more peaceful though than any other year in the Great War, with our valiant soldiers, sailors and airmen continuing their fight not just on the Western Front, but in the Middle East and the seas surrounding our nation.
When history was made in 1918, the ANZACs were there. They were there to push Turkish forces out of Palestine and pursue them to Damascus; they were there to break through Germany’s last line of defence; they were there to capture Damascus with Arab fighters; and they were there to liberate European cities such as Amiens and Ypres.
And through it all, servicemen from Campbelltown were there, aided by the support packages and resilient efforts of those on the home front.
At the start of the World War I, Campbelltown’s population was just fewer than 2,000 people, and only 50 of those people owned a telephone. Yet that small town, which is now a prosperous and thriving city, provided support to the war effort well above what would be expected of such a small town at that time.
About 210 servicemen from Campbelltown served in World War I, representing 11 percent of the small town’s population, with many more from the surrounding suburbs of Ingleburn, Leumeah and Camden joining them.
I joined the Australian Army in 1990 at the age of 16, in a world vastly different to those who joined at a similar age during World War I.
To me, Anzac Day is a time for us to truly come together as a nation and express our gratitude to the brave men and women who selflessly ventured into the unknown in the hopes of securing a better future for generations of Australians unborn at the time.
One hundred years on from the signing of the Armistice and our Diggers returning home in Sydney Harbour, we owe it to them to preserve peace in all its forms.
- Contributions to this column are welcome. Submissions can be on any topic, of up to 500 words in length. Send to: erickontos@southwestvoice.com.au
So true