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Bellingen Shire residents Brian and Kathy Mortimer have been successful in the Gallipoli Ballot, which will allow them to attend the Dawn Service at Gallipoli on April 25 next year to commemorate the Centenary of Anzac.
Both Brian and Kathy submitted applications, Kathy in the General Division and Brian in the ‘Returned from Active Service Division’ due to his service in Vietnam. It was the latter application which was successful.
Brian was overjoyed upon notification.
“We know several people from the Mid North Coast who submitted applications, and know of only one successful applicant in the general division from Coffs Harbour’.
Brian and Kathy are members of the Bellinger River RSL Sub Branch and furthermore, Brian is the president.
Brian is adamant that his attendance next year is not just a milestone for him but that he embodies the local RSL and community.
“We hope to lay a wreath on behalf of our Sub Branch, and whilst we may not be the only people successful from the Bellingen Shire, we wish to also be able to represent our Shire at the commemoration.
“We feel it is a great honour to attend this truly once in a lifetime occasion,” Brian said.
Brian and Kathy have a family tradition of military service.
Brian served 38 years in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps. His paternal Grandfather served in WW1 in the Middle East with the Australian Light Horse and his father served in World War 2 in Darwin with an Artillery unit.
Kathy was an RAAF Officer in the Medical Branch.
Her father served in the Army in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in World War 2 and several great uncles were involved in World War 1.
One paternal great uncle, Sergeant Tom Mountain, was a member of the Australian 1st Light Horse Regiment. He fought and was wounded in Gallipoli. Two years later he was killed in action near Beersheba (then in Palestine) shortly after the Australian Light Horse charge on Beersheba on October 31, 1917. One of Tom’s brothers also served with the Light Horse in the Middle East.
After leaving Gallipoli, Brian and Kathy hope to travel to Israel to visit Tom’s grave at Beersheba.
Kathy has been undertaking research for the Centenary of Anzac and WW1 and it was through this that she has discovered more on her families’ military involvement.
Kathy’s maternal great uncle and well known former Bellingen Shire resident, Reuben Piggott, fought and been wounded in Gallipoli, before being sent to the Western Front where he was wounded again and suffered the after effects from gas attacks.
Another great uncle and longtime Sawtell resident, Stan Fisher, was wounded in France three times and was also gassed.
These stories of everyday Australians are compelling and we should never forget their sacrifices. In conjunction with the Courier Sun, the Bellinger River, Dorrigo and Ur