Anzac Day 2022: Qld veterans to honour fallen, and be honoured

A 98-year-old Queensland veteran won’t be able to attend Anzac services due to poor health, but his thoughts will be with his mates as they are every day.

Service, community and mateship: These are the three words Queensland war veterans hope will inspire Australians to come together this Anzac Day.

Royal Australian Air Force Bomber Command’s Bob Smith, a 98-year-old World War II veteran, is the last surviving member of his squadron – and not a day goes by when his thoughts don’t drift to his fallen comrades.

Poor health will prevent the Sunshine Coast veteran from taking part in today’s services, and he will instead spend Anzac Day at home, almost 80 years after he and his squadron mates flew dozens of missions against the Nazis in 1944.

Mr Smith was the first Australian to complete a full tour of operation, which broke a jinx given the squadron was renowned for its high casualty rate.

Mr Smith’s son Iain said his father was constantly thinking of his comrades.

“Dad always told me that veterans don’t need a special day to think about their mates; he said he thinks about them all the time,” Mr Smith said.

“It’s an emotional day for our family though. My granddad, dad’s dad and his uncles were in WWI.

“One of my uncles died and another was one of the first ashore at Gallipoli.

“So Dad was very keen to enlist and do his bit too.”

The Maroochy RSL said Mr Smith’s first operation was daylight attacks on a German base to give the Allies a chance to land at Normandy.

Mr Smith’s Lancaster aircraft flew several operations in second waves of attacks.

“Dad was part of around the clock raids into German territory, he did a range of things,” Mr Smith’s son said.

“His squadron had launch sites in Holland that the Nazis had set up to attack England. They were secretive places and heavily defended.

“The missions were limited because the fatality rate was so high.”

Upon his discharge from the service, Mr Smith worked as a banker until the 1980s.

Ninety-eight-year-old RAF veteran Robert Wylie Smith flew nearly 40 missions as a navigator. Picture: Lachie Millard

His views on the importance of mateship are shared by fellow veterans Curtis McGrath and Stan Mellick, who hope to inspire Queenslanders to come together and commemorate this Anzac Day.

A 102-year-old veteran who served in WWII, Stan Mellick was based in New Guinea between 1943-1945 and retired as a major.

He has since worked as a pharmacist, poet, university lecturer and author.

During his time serving in Afghanistan, Mr McGrath lost both his legs after stepping on an explosive device.

In just under a decade since his injury, the 33-year-old veteran has gone on to represent Australia in the Paralympic Games in para-canoeing, winning a gold medal.

Mr Mellick and Mr McGrath explained the importance of Anzac Day, which is about commemorating the services and sacrifices our service men and women made to protect our country.

“The importance of not forgetting. In our own way, we are making it significant to Australia and New Zealand,” Mr McGrath said.

Mr Mellick said his memory goes back a long way to seeing the original Anzacs march.

“They didn’t have a lot of money in those days, but they had their little black suits on and they had their hat on and they marched with a great deal of pride,” Mr Mellick said.

Mr Mellick has been inspired by the generations, young and old, who have shown their support and gratitude for servicemen over many Anzac Days.

“When I walked down Queen St a few years ago, I was always impressed and empathetic about the young people sitting on the ground saying thank you,” Mr Mellick said.

“A community effort has to be felt, there has to be feelings about it. Reason enough for people to do something…I think [Anzac Day has] developed into a national form… it’s become an established Australian habit.”

Mateship has also remained an integral part of both Mr Mellick and Mr McGrath’s lives, in and out of service.

Robert Wylie Smith (centre) on The Strand in London in early 1944

Mr Mellick referred to mateship as a basic requirement for living, and needs to be valued by a soldier when joining an organisation devoted to the protection of the community.

“It’s an old Australian word in many ways, and it’s been manifested [over the years],” Mr Mellick said.

“You’re not alone. That’s the essential thing. You never know what’s going to happen, someone’s always going to be around.”

Mr McGrath defined mateship as coming together and helping each other out, regardless of the challenge.

“In war, we have that opportunity to go through that with someone and that creates that bond even more so,” Mr McGrath said.

“You’re not doing it on your own and we are relying on each other, both for motivation, and capability and support. And without that, we wouldn’t be able to be where we are today.”

Mr McGrath described the importance of relying on one another, coming together and being part of a team that becomes your family.

“Those moments of hardship when you’re going through it together, makes you tighter. The recent floods have shown that coming together in times of need comes about more often than just the times in war,” Mr McGrath said.

“That’s something that we can take away from service and looking back, and what it all means and why we’re trying to help each other out in the broader sense.”

After devoting his life to service, Mr Mellick said one piece of advice that has carried him from his time as a soldier is that whatever you’re in, give your best to it.

“I was fortunate enough to be on the board of St Andrews Hospital in the early days and we had a vision about what we wanted to have there… you become aware of what is needed from beyond yourself,” Mr Mellick said.

World War II veteran Stan Mellick, 102, with Afghanistan veteran Curtis McGrath. Picture: Steve Pohlner