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.<\/p>\n
To mark the milestone, a civic reception was held last Friday to honour Ballarat\u2019s connection to the American\u2019s military\u2019s spearhead.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Colonel Patrick Eldridge from the 11th Marine Regiment joined Sergeant Major Jeff Vandentop in thanking the people of Ballarat 80 years on.<\/p>\n
They travelled from 1st Battalion headquarters in Camp Pendleton in California for the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe marines stayed in Ballarat after a very gruelling battle at the Guadalcanal,\u201d Colonel Eldridge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were really run down, they had malaria, dysentery, a whole host of jungle diseases and Ballarat was a place where they could recuperate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey spent roughly nine months here in Ballarat and they established a very strong relationship with the people which has lasted until today.<\/p>\n
City of Ballarat mayor Cr Des Hudson said the civic reception was special opportunity to honour this part of region\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is amazing to be able to celebrate Ballarat\u2019s past by ensuring the future generations know the stories from the US Marines time in Ballarat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBallarat 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Colonel Eldridge said he hopes the history of the Marines in Ballarat can continue to be passed on to younger generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistory doesn\u2019t 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, if you don\u2019t study history or hold these kinds of ceremonies, newer generations don\u2019t realise what happened in the past and how we got to where we are today.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\u2019s connection to the American\u2019s military\u2019s […]<\/p>\n