A small but dedicated gathering attended the cenotaph at Robertson Park on Saturday to commemorate Victory in the Pacific Day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Saturday marked the 75th anniversary of Japan's surrender and the end of World War II, however due to coronavirus, the City of Orange RSL sub-Branch could not hold a memorial service.
Instead, 16 people including RSL representatives and descendants of WWII service personnel gathered at the war memorial to lay wreaths and pay their respects with a minute of silence.
During the short ceremony, Orange RSL sub-Branch vice president Roslyn Davidson comforted Margaret Fowler who attends the service every year in support of her father Stanly Fowler.
Ms Fowler laid flowers at the war memorial to honour her father who was a private in the 2/20th Battalion, 8th Division of the Australian Infantry Force during World War II and became a prisoner of war.
"He was in Changi prison camp for three and a half years," she said.
"I come every year."
Legacy vice president Kate Hazelton also honoured father John Noakes and wore his WWII medals.
"He was on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific in 1945, he was 18 years of age," Mrs Hazelton said.
"He remembers VP day when peace was declared and he spoke about it until the day he died."
"He never applied for his medals, he was a man who just got on with life so it's a very important day for me as his daughter."
She said he was on the aircraft carrier that was on its way to Ceylon when peace was declared.
She said there are war widows still living in Orange who were married to WWII service men, and there are also women who served during the war.
"We had quite a lot who served in a hospital ship," she said.
RSL Sub-Branch president Chris Colvin said it was disappointing that a service could not be held but it was important the day was still commemorated.
"We did the best we could with the social distancing due to COVID," he said.
"It's still a way of doing it.
"We cannot not do something, we've got to do something.
"The Vietnam veterans have [Vietnam Veterans Day] on Tuesday and they will be doing the same, we need to honour these people."
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...