Town's only returned serviceman cherishes memorial

Meet the town's only veteran who prepares the cenotaph every year for crowds of hundreds.

PRIDE: Despite no one asking veteran Robert Henderson to do it, he spends the days leading up to Anzac Day each year preparing his small town's cenotaph. Picture: Jorja McDonnell

BEFORE each Anzac Day, Robert Henderson of Muckadilla can be found at the cenotaph, taking care of the grounds and the memorial.

He is the town's only veteran, and since returning to Muckadilla from a tour of East Timor in 2000, and has become the unofficial organiser of services.

"Since I came back to Muckadilla, in 2010, there hasn't been anyone here who is dedicated to look after the memorial so it is just as easy for me to bring the mower over and do the trimming for Remembrance Day, Anzac Day, Veterans Day - all of them.

"We don't have a service here for the Veterans Day or Long Tan Day, but I still try and make the place presentable.

"You see a lot of little towns, and their memorial is neat and tidy, but it could do with a personal touch.

"This is something that I do because I want to add that personal touch. Really, it is a labour of love."

Originally published as Town's only returned serviceman cherishes memorial