Wayne Rikard will remember his fallen comrades this ANZAC Day while having a few quiet drinks with his mates. 79904 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By NATALIE GALLENTI
THE year was 1969, the date April 25th – ANZAC Day.
It was the day that Wayne Rikard nearly lost his life on battle field.
A member of the 5th Battalion and a platoon radio operator, Mr Rikard was seriously wounded when a booby trap blew up and shrapnel tore through his body. He returned home and since then, April 25th has been a day he will never forget.
Today, ANZAC day has many different meanings for the Sunshine RSL member, but what’s most important is honouring his fallen comrades.
Mr Rikard fought in the Vietnam War and lost many mates during that time – a lot of them young with their whole lives ahead of them.
This ANZAC Day the Melton resident will spend time with his mates and reminisce, just like he does every week when he visits the club and has a game of lawn bowls.
“It’s a time to remember fallen comrades. I lost a few,” Mr Rikard said.
“I’ll go along and have a few beers with my mates and we’ll remember.
“It’s about honouring those who didn’t come back.”
The 64-year-old said it was always a proud moment to be honoured for your efforts in the war, but this wasn’t always the case.
He recalled not having anyone to speak to upon his return to Australia in 1969 because no one really understood what servicemen had to deal with and what atrocities they had witnessed.
“When we first came back the only people we could speak to were Vietnam Vets. The Government didn’t want to know us and we weren’t debriefed when we got back. We just had to put it (the war) at the back of our minds.
“I hope our servicemen now are treated better than what we were.
“But there’s a lot of appreciation now. It makes me really proud.”
He said it was important youngsters understood the importance of ANZAC Day and that schools continued to educate them on the sacrifices made by servicemen and women.
The Sunshine RSL will hold a dawn service on ANZAC Day at 99 Dickson Street in Sunshine.
Members of the East Keilor RSL will assemble at 10.15am on Sunday 22 April at Mary St and Hoffman St in Essendon and march to Neil Heinze Reserve. The club will also hold a dawn service from 6am at the Neil Heinze Reserve Cenotaph on Anzac Day. The service will be followed by a Gunfire Breakfast at the RSL rooms.
