The South Australian community and Veterans SA have marked 80 years since Australians celebrated the end of World War II in the Pacific.
On 15 August 1945, Victory in the Pacific Day, Prime Minister Ben Chifley announced that Australia’s involvement in the War was over following Japan’s acceptance of the Allied Nations’ terms of surrender.
In the lead up to this year’s significant anniversary, the Veterans SA’s 80th Anniversary of the end of World War II Grant Fund was established to support community projects and activities that recognise the end of the War and educate the public about its local impacts.
Fifteen grants totalling $131,996 were awarded from the total funding pool of $132,000, supporting projects by communities across the state including:
- Clarendon Museum volunteers who developed a 27-minute, narrative-driven documentary containing archival WWII footage and interview recollections from both locals who were children when War broke out and those who had parents who served.
- Willunga and Districts RSL for a custom-made, 7-metre-high memorial featuring locally sourced slate to honour local service personnel.
- The Saving Airman Giles memorial, established thanks to the Kapunda RSL’s publicity officer and historian who discovered the true story of three local brothers who died while serving in WWII.
- The Macclesfield RSL Sub Branch whose members commissioned a WWII Commemoration Mural highlighting the stories of two men and one woman from the district who died in service.
Veterans SA Director, Bianca Wheeler, said the projects were a credit to their respective communities.
“The 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to honour the service and sacrifice of South Australians in WWII and reflect on the peace and safety we have experienced in Australia in the decades since the War’s end,” Ms Wheeler said.
“The projects are fantastic, congratulations to everyone involved.”
Approximately one million Australians served between 1939 and 1945. Of these, 54,660 were South Australians, representing 43 per cent of eligible South Australians at the time.
Tragically, 27,291 Australian men and women were killed during the war, including 3,363 South Australians, which represented almost 10 per cent of these casualties. A further 40,000 Australians were wounded.
In the lead up to the 80th anniversary, Veterans SA developed a series of stories highlighting successful commemoration projects, as well as an interview with 102-year-old South Australian WWII veteran, Don Looker, who served in Bomber Command.
Read Mr Looker’s story and learn more about the successful grant projects marking the anniversary.
