By Callum Ludwig
The Seville community gathered at dawn around the newly-restored Seville War Memorial on Friday 25 April to honour those who have served Australia.
The memorial was lit up and a sizeable crowd had arrived by the time the service began at 5.45am.
Chair of the Seville War Memorial Committee Anthony McAleer OAM welcomed everyone to the service before inviting former reporter and local poet Jim Brown to read ‘A Child’s Story of War’.
Mr Brown said he wanted to explore a lesser-known side of our ANZAC history; what it was like for Australian families and children from the perspective of a friend of his Allan Paull.
“In his book, Allan remembers (his uncle) Mick’s departure, having finished his final training at Puckapunyal, Uncle Mick received orders that he was sailing to the Middle East to join the Australian troops already fighting there,” he said.
“At the end of the night, one bottle of Abbott’s lager remained unopened, with some ceremony, friends signed the label pledging to open this special bottle when Uncle Mick came home from overseas to celebrate his safe return,”
“I recall an American officer coming to our home for dinner one evening… our American guest had already undergone nine major operations for facial plastic surgery and faced another five before he would be fit enough to return to the USA, the reality of war was in our home that evening.”
A free community breakfast cooked by the Seville Cricket Club and sponsored by the Wandin/Seville Community Bank was put on for the attendees.
Mr Brown said tragedy struck the Paull family on 29 October 1942 when Uncle Mick was reported missing in action in the Sun News Pictorial.
“Our worst fears were realised two days later when in cold, stark terms, along with other soldiers, he was listed as killed in action at El Alamein,” he said.
“This affected me greatly, I looked over and over at his serial number, rank and name under the black heading, I couldn’t come to terms with the fact that my happy, jovial and lovable Uncle Mick would never return,”
“Remember the bottle of Abbott’s lager autographed by my beloved Uncle Mick on his last night before he went to war, well it remains to this day unopened, its contents are still intact and will always take pride of place in my study.”
Later, Sergeant Brendon de Schwartz from Lilydale Police read the poem ‘September 1939’, Andrew Butler from the Seville Rural Fire Brigade was invited to do the historical reading of ‘Faded Suits of Green’, a poem written by a Yarra Valley resident and Chandler Ward Councillor from Yarra Ranges Council Gareth Ward read the poem ‘Our Freedom’ by a Seville resident.
Warrant Officer Second Class Jack Brunker read the Seville Roll of Honour for both World War One and World War Two.
Peter Paterson of the Mt Evelyn RSL gave the Ode to the Fallen and Bugler Ian Douglas played The Last Post before Seville Junior Football Netball Club players raised the Australian and New Zealand flags.
Wreaths were laid by representatives of the Mt Evelyn RSL, Lilydale RSl, Seville Township Group, Yarra Ranges Council, Evelyn MP Bridget Vallence, incumbent Casey MP Aaron Violi, the Seville Rural Fire Brigade, Seville Primary School, Lilydale Police, Wandin/Seville Community Bank, Seville Cricket Club, Seville Football Netball Club and the Johnson family, descendants of Bruce Bethune who is honoured on the memorial.
President of the Seville Township Group Graeme Black acknowledged everyone who contributed to putting the event together before the service was closed by Mr Brown performing both the Australian and New Zealand national anthems.
