THE mood was sombre at the Merriwa War Memorial on Anzac Day.
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The air was crisp and as daylight started to pierce the night sky, a crowd of more than 100 gathered to help commemorate the fallen, those who served, as well as those continuing to serve.
And, as the Royal Australia Air Force (RAAF) Catafalque Party slowly marched to their points around the Cenotaph at the Dawn Service, Merriwa local Max Jarratt was there, just like he’s been doing every year since settling in Merriwa almost three decades ago.
You wouldn’t think he’s turning 93 next month.
His perfect posture could have been easily used by any of the attending RAAF personnel as a text-book guide on how to stand properly.
The only thing that’s probably better than Max’s health is his memory.
“I was 19 years old and was working for the railways at Bankstown,” he recalled.
“I was either working on the platform or in the office. I wanted to join up, but the Railways was a protected industry.
“I said to my boss that I wanted to join up and that I’d resign.
“Anyway, the Commissioner of the NSW Railways (Mr Windsor) said to me you’ve got two choices; (1) Go back to work at Bankstown or (2) Go to Long Bay Gaol.
“Naturally I went back to work but, after one month, the Railways gave me permission to join the defence force – I could have been the only one allowed as I knew a lot of boys in the Railways who wanted to join but were denied permission.
“I volunteered for the RAAF as that’s what I initially said to Mr Windsor when he asked who I wanted to join.
“I was sent to places like Tocumwal, Melbourne, Deniliquin and Port Moresby for my training until I was finally stationed at a place called Nadzab in the Markham Valley about 39 miles away from Lae in Papua New Guinea.
“I was part of the 10 Repair and Salvage Unit (RSU) – we were the Rascals, Scoundrels and Undesirables and we had to go to allied aircraft crash site sites to retrieve as much of the aircraft as we could before the Japanese arrived.
“We tried to get to the crash sites using big American army trucks on these narrow jungle tracks, but we often had to hack our way through the jungle to get to the actual crash site itself.
“Sometimes we saw some of the deceased air crew still on board as well as the occasional survivor, but the medical teams took care of them.
“Thankfully we didn’t meet up with any Japanese during our recoveries.
“Conditions were shocking.
“No fresh food – everything was canned. And for my three-and-a-half years in the Air Force, I slept in a tent with three others.
“It rained every second night and I slept on a bed that was basically a chaff bag filled with straw.
“You got used to the conditions though.
“We used to joke that during your first month in the jungle you’d pick the ants off your breakfast toast and during the second month you’d eat your toast with the ants on it and by the third month, you’d be so used to it, you’d put the ants on your own toast if there weren’t any already on it.
“Eventually I was transferred to Lae where I spent my final one and a half years and for my last three months I was part of an air crew that helped de-mobilised Australian soldiers get home.
“After I came home, I married Beryl - she was a fantastic woman who was very understanding and patient after I came home.
“You see I wanted to be with my mates when I got back and I admit that I wasn’t a very good husband for a while and it took me time to re-adjust.
“We were married for 65 years.”
When asked if he had any regrets in leaving the Railways to join the Air Force, Max paused and said: “No. It was something that had to be done.
“But what annoys me is that here I am enjoying Anzac Day, but what about the blokes left behind and buried?
“They get nothing! I reckon they should all get a Victoria Cross.”