Barbara dressed in her Brownies uniform, Jane wore her junior Red Cross uniform, and Dad dressed in his suit with his medals. Mum, Alison, and I wore our Sunday clothes.

Easter and Anzac were close together. Because Mum made yeast buns for Easter, and then again on Anzac Day, I get my memories of the celebrations mixed up!

I do remember getting my clothes ready. My good dress had a rope petticoat. I liked to wash and starch the petticoat, and iron it dry, so that my dress would be really sticky out. That’s how I liked it!

Dad didn’t talk much about the war with us. He enlisted when he was very young, and was a ‘gunner’ posted at Darwin when the Japanese invaded. He was injured in the bombing. The first doctor who saw his foot in Darwin said he would have to amputate, so did the second in Brisbane, but when Dad arrived in Sydney, Dr Calais that said he could save Dad’s foot. And he did. Dad was in a repatriation hospital for 14 months. When he left he had a calliper and a limp.

Soldiers stationed at Darwin were considered Returned Soldiers. I am not sure why. I am glad though, because Dad got a Gold Card, and when he died Mum could use it for her health care.

I remember Dad’s RSL friends and colleagues putting red poppies on Dad’s coffin, and more recently a bugler playing the Last Post at Uncle Lindsay’s funeral. It is very moving to see comrades remembering their fallen.