World War II veteran Reg Chard nominated for Pride of Australia Medal
World War II veteran Reg Chard wakes up every morning with memories of the horrors of the Kokoda Track. The 95-year-old has been nominated for the Pride of Australia Medal for his community work.
The Express
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More than 70 years since he fought on the Kokoda Track, the horrors of the jungle have never left Reg Chard.
“I wake up at half past two every morning … it just never goes away, unfortunately. But we’re all different. A lot of men, when they came home, went on the drink,” he said.
Mr Chard joined the army as soon as he turned 18 and in 1942, after the fall of Singapore, he and his fellow soldiers were sent to Papua New Guinea to fight in the Kokoda Track campaign.
It was a place he’d “never heard of”, though, and upon landing he was struck by the “unbearable” heat.
“They never told us where we were going,” he said.
“It’s like living here and in those days that’s as far as you went. You went to work and home.
“When you went in the jungle, it’s pitch black. You never saw the sun, you never saw anything. All it did was drip the whole time. You didn’t know if it was raining outside. It was pitch black. You got no idea.”
Hundreds of men died during the campaign and many more were wounded. Even greater numbers were struck down by tropical diseases, including Mr Chard, who collapsed on January 21, 1943 from scrub typhus and malaria.
“I was a bloody mess. I don’t remember anything at all. I have no idea how I left the frontline, no idea how I got to hospital. Got none whatsoever and I’ve never found out since.”
Now 95, the Villawood resident volunteers at the Kokoda Memorial Track Walkway at Concord, sharing his experiences with school students and visitors.
He has now been nominated for the Pride of Australia Medal, which recognises the remarkable contributions of members within the community.
Each year, Mr Chard recites the Ode of Remembrance at Holsworthy High School’s Anzac Day and Remembrance commemorations and presents awards to students at formal assemblies.
The students give back by volunteering each year to help maintain the Kokoda Memorial Track Walkway.
Holsworthy High defence school mentor and community liaison officer Tracey Carr said students had forged a deep connection with Mr Chard as a result of his “selfless contribution to their education”.
“It’s invaluable knowledge that they will never get out of a book.”