It’s not often heroes attend the naming of a place in their honour, but that’s exactly what Keith Payne did last week at Pheasants Nest on the Hume Highway.
The last living member of the original recipients of the Imperial Victoria Cross, pictured above at left, joined the Governor-General and other VIPs for the dedication of the new south bound rest area to Keith Payne VC.
“It is a wonderful honour to have a dedication attended by the person chosen to be honoured,’’ said Wollondilly state MP Judy Hannan.
The local MP was also ecstatic that there were now three rest areas in the Wollondilly section of the Hume Highway dedicated to Victoria Cross recipients.
“There are few electorates that have the honour of dedicated truck rest areas for a Victoria Cross recipient,’’ she said.
“We are honoured in Wollondilly to have now three, and each of these highlight sacrifice for the freedoms and opportunities we now enjoy.”
Ms Hannan said the naming of rest areas along the Hume Highway for Victoria Cross recipients was a wonderful dedication and one she had supported for a long time.
“In 2010, I supported a motion by my colleague of the time Benn Banasik to have the rest area dedicated to a VC recipient,’’ Ms Hannan said.
“The Remembrance Drive committee worked towards facilitating the dedication, one that was not normal due to the truck rest areas being connected to the service stations.
“Thankfully with some will, the first was dedicated in 2012.
“The owners of the service stations have done a wonderful job at reinvigorating the space and it is fitting that with the significant changes the Kenna VC Truck rest area is to be rededicated to him.
“And it’s great that the south bound rest area is now also to be dedicated, to the living hero, Keith Payne VC.
“I welcome everyone to discover more about the feats each of these great men endured and what we can learn from these acts of survival, bravery and mateship that defines what Australia is today,’’ said Ms Hannan, pictured below, in red.
Keith Payne joined the Australian Army in 1951 and served in the Korean War from April 1952 until March 1953, then in Malaya in 1965, Papua New Guinea in 1967 and Vietnam in 1969 where his actions saw him awarded the Victoria Cross.
He was Commander of the 212th Company of the 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion when the unit was attacked by the North Vietnamese People’s Army forces near Ben Het Camp.
Withdrawing under fire, a grenade struck and hit Keith Payne, with shrapnel in his arms, legs and skull.
Despite injury, Payne covered the withdrawal, organising the troops defensively and returning to the battlefield for a further three hours searching for any remaining members of the unit.
Locating 40 wounded soldiers he assisted with the wounded and led the party through an area dominated by enemy forces.
Edward Kenna, or Ted as he was popularly known, served in the Australian Citizen Military Forces from August 1940.
When called up for full service in 1941, he volunteered for the Australian Infantry Force and in 1944 embarked for New Guinea.
Kenna received his Victoria Cross as part of a task to take enemy positions in the South West Pacific in 1945.
When ordered forward to deal with a machine gun post, his platoon suffered casualties.
Edward Kenna attempted engaging the enemy bunker but was unable due to the lay of the land. Without orders and on his own initiative, he stood in full view of the enemy less than 50 yards away firing his Bren gun from the hip.
He came under fire from the enemy so much that bullets passed between his arms and his body.
Due to his actions and bravery no further losses were incurred and the enemy bunker was captured along with numerous automatic weapons.
The third Wollondilly rest area on the Hume Highway is dedicated to Frank Partridge VC, who was a private in the 8th Battalion, and served as part of the Bougainville campaign in June 1945.
On July 24 two platoons attacked the Japanese post known as Base 5. Under heavy machine gun fire, Frank Partridge’s unit was suffering heavy casualties, including their Bren gunner.
Taking the weapon despite being under fire and wounded in the arm and leg, Frank Partridge fired at the nearest bunker then rushed towards it with a grenade and knife silencing the machine gun post before using his knife to kill the last remaining enemy combatant.
The action allowed the platoon to withdraw without casualties or falling under enemy capture.
