Wars were once fought during battles that took place in fields, where kings and generals could observe the fighting and move their regiments around like chess pieces.
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Over the centuries warfare has changed in keeping with technology and now the battlefield can be from the depths of the ocean through to cyberspace and everywhere in between.
Increasingly, war occurs among the population be it state on state conflict or acts of terrorism. It is a sad indictment on the human race that even today thousands of innocent non-combatants fall victims to war.
The negative effects of conflict upon civilians goes beyond the death and injury caused by weapons and other tools of war. Sanctions imposed on countries by the United Nations or other authorities are intended to punish governments or regimes that have gone ‘off the rails’.
Sanctions imposed on Iraq in 1990 were intended to punish the Saddam Regime. In reality though, those with power and influence still prospered and ate well while their people went hungry and got sick. I saw this in Iraq and I suspect the same is happening in North Korea.
In Iraq 2003 there was a child named Hamed, who I came to know well. He was bright and cheerful and picked up ‘Australian’ English very quickly. I guessed his age to be around 9-years-old and was shocked to learn he was actually 14. His father explained to me that his son’s stunted growth and sickness in early childhood was typical of the generation of young Iraqi’s due to these sanctions. Good food and medicine were out of reach for kids like Hamed.
Even if a war is being fought on the other side of the planet the impact on the population at home can be dreadful.
When a loved one is killed or wounded it is the family that is left to pick up the pieces. In many cases those wounds are psychological and can remain invisible for years, and again it is the families who are left to deal with it.
In 2009 high-school students, in conjunction with Legacy, conducted interviews with locals about their recollections of the war years.
Nambucca’s Mrs Phyllis Dawson, talked of her husband having malaria during World War Two and how his illness impacted on the whole family. Her husband was never able to talk about the war as it opened too many wounds.
Macksville’s Mrs Mavis Donnelly, talked of her father being killed in action Libya in 1941. Life was tough for her family after her father’s death and they were helped by the Smith Family and Legacy.
Heather Meehan, who moved to Scotts Head to be with family while her husband was deployed, recalled life after her husband was killed during the Korean War as been ‘pretty horrendous really’. She struggled financially and socially and never married again. She survived on a war-widows pension and help from Legacy.
War continues to impact families across the Mid NorthCoast. Thankfully Legacy is still here to help.
Legacy is the only organisation of its type in the world and it relies on an army of dedicated volunteers to provide practical, emotional and financial support to Australian Defence Force personnel, who have given their lives or their health in the service of their country and to their families.
Legacy Week
Legacy Week is September 2 to 8, 2018 and you will see volunteers selling badges to raise funds that are still needed to help families deal with the consequences of war.
During Legacy week, think of our local folk like Phyllis, Mavis and Heather and think of today’s younger families who are in need of assistance from Legacy and please buy a badge. Lest we Forget.
About the author: Mick Birtles is a recently retired army officer now living in Nambucca Heads. During his 36-year career, Birtles served in Bougainville, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for command and leadership. Here he shares his interest in the issues effecting veterans on the Mid North Coast.
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