Flashback: How Gold Coast commemorated Anzac Day in 1968, 50 years after World War I ended

IMAGINE playing a role in one of the world’s most historic flights. A Gold Coast War veteran was there after surviving life on the beaches at Gallipoli.

THE Gold Coast will pause to remember the fallen this week to mark Anzac Day.

This year’s commemoration falls in the 100th year since the Great War came to an end, adding an extra sense of poignancy to the solemn occasion.

Locally, ceremonies will be held across the city, including the famous Elephant Rock dawn service.

These ceremonies are grander in scale than those which were held on the Gold Coast to mark the 50th year of World War I’s end.

The Southport Cenotaph in the early to mid 20th century.

The year was 1968 and the city was home to many surviving veterans of the war, including Charles Ware of Main Beach who shared his story with the Bulletin.

The Gallipoli veteran, who was well-known locally during the 60s for his fights to raise awareness of beach erosion, revealed his war story, which took him across the world.

Mr Ware served at Anzac Cove with the 9th Battalion and then in France where he became a fighter pilot with the Australian Flying Corp.

A Vickers Vimy bomber.

Near the end of the war the Lieutenant was appointed to train in tan AFC bomber squadron at the Brooklands racetrack near London but the conflict ended before he saw action again.

While there he witnessed the build-up to the first west-east crossing of the Atlantic by plane.

He helped redesign and test fly a Vickers Vimy bomber for two men named Alcock and Whitten-Brown who went on to make the flight from Newfoundland in 1919 and won the $20,000 prize.

The same day they landed, Australian Harry Hawker and his navigator, Commander Grieve took off to attempt the same feat but engine failure forced them to ditch into the sea off Ireland.

The Gold Coast paused to remember the fallen 50 years on from the War.

They were not found for more than a week and were given up for dead but turned up alive and were returned to London.

Their arrival was witnessed by another Gold Coaster — Jules Tardent of Labrador.

“It was tumultuous to put it mildly,” he told the Bulletin 50 years ago.

“Large numbers of the AIF were in England awaiting repatriation and they rolled up in their thousands to cheer.

“They chaired Hawker and Grieve shoulder high to the Anzac Officer’s Club.

Gold Coast Mayor Sir Bruce Small used the 50th anniversary of the conflict’s end to salute veterans.

Sir Bruce Small

‘The personal experiences of the men who took part in that historic landing (at Gallipoli) — like so m any of the men themselves — have passed into history.

“To most of us — certainly to the youth of today — much of the significance of Anzac Day, if not lost, is fast being dimmed into the mists of legend.

“That is why the perpetuation of Anzac Day is something that is so important for the future.”

Anzac Day 1968 proved to be a wet day, much as this year’s is predicted to be.

Lest We Forget.

Veterans from World War I, World War II, Korea, the Malayan conflict and Vietnam ignored the downpour and stood for the solemn tributes at Southport and Surfers Paradise and listened to the service conducted by parish priest Father J.N Shannon.

Now, 50 years on, there are no veterans of the Great War remaining and a dwindling few World War II veterans.

Half a century has passed since that day but the Gold Coast’s respect for their sacrifice remains strong.

Lest We Forget.