Aboriginal WWII and Korean War veteran Laurence Leonard Ah Lin honoured two decades after death

A deathbed confession, the unmarked grave of an Aboriginal war hero, and a family finally made whole: Deb Wittkopp’s shares her incredible search for answers – and why it’s not over yet.

An unmarked grave no longer, after a ceremony to honour Aboriginal WWII and Korean War veteran Laurence Leonard Ah Lin two decades after his death in Darwin. Picture: Georgia Politis.

It was September 2022 and the person Deb Wittkopp believed to be her father was dying.

He had not been an easy man to grow up with, but left the Brisbane woman with a parting gift: the truth about her birth, and a name – Laurence Leonard Ah Lin.

Deb would go on to discover her true father, known to friends as Larry Willaroo, was an Aboriginal stockman from the Northern Territory, an Australian war hero, and, until Friday, had been lying in an unmarked grave at a small cemetery on the outskirts of Darwin.

“I am 66 this year and finally finding out who I am and where I belong, because I have been lost in my life until now,” Deb said.

Deb Wittkopp said it was a closure for herself and her father to learn the truth. Picture: Fia Walsh.

Speaking after a military service to recognise Private Ah Lin at Thorak Regional Cemetery, it was the first time Deb had visited the resting place of the dad she never met, but was finally getting to know.

“My father’s service to his country wasn’t recognised because he was Indigenous.

“Today’s ceremony showed me just how proud he was to serve his country, and now, with the naming of his grave, that his country acknowledges and honours his service.

“I am so proud that he is my father, and that he can rest, I don’t think my father has rested until now.

“It’s a big closure for him, and for myself.”

Private Ah Lin was born in 1925 at Willeroo station, southwest of Katherine.

When WWII reached Darwin, the then 19-year-old stockman travelled to Alice Springs to join the Army, serving in the Territory until after the war ended in 1946.

He re-enlisted in 1951, setting off from Sydney to South Korea in 1951 as part of the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment.

It is believed Private Ah Lin fought in the Battle of Maryang San, described by Solomon MP Luke Gosling, quoting a historian, as “one of the most impressive victories achieved by any Australian battalion” and “probably the greatest single feat of the Australian Army during the Korean War”.

“He would’ve been dreaming of the Mataranka hot springs, I’m sure, in those freezing conditions,” Mr Gosling said.

Solomon MP Luke Gosling and Deb Wittkopp at a ceremony to honour Aboriginal WWII and Korean War veteran Laurence Leonard Ah Lin two decades after his death in Darwin. Picture: Georgia Politis.

Private Ah Lin was awarded a Defence Medal, War Medal, Australian Service Medal, Korea Medal and United Nations Service Medal for his service.

He died in Darwin on March 16, 2004.

Along with a memorial plaque unveiled at the Friday service, Deb accepted a posthumous South Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal on her father’s behalf.

She said it was thanks to Mr Gosling that her father would be remembered.

“His name is all I had,” Deb said.

“I moved from Brisbane to Alice Springs to try and find my family.

“This was in 2022, and a friend of mine in Alice was searching through old army records and found a speech Luke (Gosling) had given in Canberra that acknowledged my biological father.

“Mr Gosling told me everything I know about my Dad.”

Aboriginal WWII and Korean War veteran Laurence Leonard Ah Lin was honoured two decades after his death. Picture: Fia Walsh.

Since discovering the truth, Deb reconnected with her sister after almost three decades and learned they were full, not half, siblings.

“I’ve got the other half of me that was missing, now I feel like I’m whole because I have my sister.”

The truth about her family had been hard to hear, but helped Deb understand things about herself.

“It’s been a trauma for me, and it probably will be for a while – it’s a lot for any human to take in, especially so late in life,” she said.

“Now I understand why I’m here, because I go walkabout, and I’ve been walked about five times to Alice Springs, so I know why – it’s my Dad.

“I think my father’s very happy now, that I’ve found him and he’s found me.”

Originally published as Aboriginal WWII and Korean War veteran Laurence Leonard Ah Lin honoured two decades after death