US Marines reaffirm local ties 80 years on

EIGHTY years ago, Victoria Park looked very different than it does today as in 1943 it provided a place to stay for one-thousand two-hundred members of the 11th US Marine Regiment during the Second World War.

To mark the milestone, a civic reception was held last Friday to honour Ballarat’s connection to the American’s military’s spearhead.

A civic reception at Town Hall offered a chance for members of American Ex-Servicemen Association and serving US Marines to gather and celebrate the significance of the occasion and reaffirm connections to the artillery regiment.

Colonel Patrick Eldridge from the 11th Marine Regiment joined Sergeant Major Jeff Vandentop in thanking the people of Ballarat 80 years on.

They travelled from 1st Battalion headquarters in Camp Pendleton in California for the event.

“The marines stayed in Ballarat after a very gruelling battle at the Guadalcanal,” Colonel Eldridge said.

“They were really run down, they had malaria, dysentery, a whole host of jungle diseases and Ballarat was a place where they could recuperate.

“They spent roughly nine months here in Ballarat and they established a very strong relationship with the people which has lasted until today.

City of Ballarat mayor Cr Des Hudson said the civic reception was special opportunity to honour this part of region’s history.

“It is amazing to be able to celebrate Ballarat’s past by ensuring the future generations know the stories from the US Marines time in Ballarat,” he said.

“Ballarat really is a wonderful place, to hear stories of many residents opening their hearts and homes to the exhausted young men over the months following their time in the Solomon Islands, is incredible.”

Colonel Eldridge said he hopes the history of the Marines in Ballarat can continue to be passed on to younger generations.

“History doesn’t repeat itself but it has rhythms, and I think its important that we continue to say thank you and understand the price that was paid for our freedoms,” he said.

“Unfortunately, if you don’t study history or hold these kinds of ceremonies, newer generations don’t realise what happened in the past and how we got to where we are today.”