THE ANZAC Day parade along Russell Street to the Bathurst War Memorial Carillon saw thousands of people march in honour of those who have served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Among those who marched, were several past and current servicemen and women themselves.
They stood proudly at the front of the service, adorned with medallions, and sprigs of rosemary on their lapels.
One such serviceman was George Ballard.
Mr Ballard served in Malaya from 1961 until 1963 as part of the Malayan Emergency and patrolled the Malaya, Thailand border in the Second Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.
He said that his time in active service was something that he will never forget.
"It certainly was an experience," he said.
"It wasn't easy being on patrol. It was quite scary at times, and I was a forward scout, so I was up the front.
"There were some pretty tough times in the jungle, and we did exercises over there as well, so it wasn't real easy."
But, the experience wasn't entirely negative for Mr Ballard, who went into the jungle as a country kid, so the bush often provided him with a sense of comfort.
This comfort, however, was dissipated upon his return to Australia.
"When I came back home I was a bit disappointed because we were told not to wear our uniform, and it was the beginning of the Vietnam War, so feelings were pretty high at that particular time," Mr Ballard said.
"But a lot of years have passed since then."
Now, Mr Ballard is able to truly reflect on the time that he served for our country, and enjoys participating in Anzac Day commemorations as a time to reflect, and build camaraderie with other service personnel.
The Western Advocate would like to thank Mr Ballard for sharing his story, and for his service.
