Veterans reflect on life and family connections

FAMILY lineage and a sense of duty saw Philip Cotter follow in his father’s footsteps when he served in the Australian Army during the Vietnam War.

He now lives in an aged care facility at Ballina, where he and fellow Vietnam veteran Errol Feevrey were preparing to commemorate Anzac Day this week.

“When you spend half of your life in the army, it’s a very special day,” Cotter said.

“I’ve marched in five of them at Ballina with my grandson, which was a great experience.

“I haven’t done the last couple, but I can still get on the bus and go and have a look.”

Cotter said he was one of the lucky ones – he was able to find a job and manage a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis after retiring from the army.

“After my time in the army, I was lucky enough to jag a job as track supervisor at the Ballina Jockey Club for 10 years,” he said.

“It was early starts at 4am and there was a bit involved – I was dealing with PTSD at the time, too.

“I was able to get treatment for that and I said to the doctor that I wanted him to explain what it was and how I could cope with it.

“It helped me deal with my own life and I was able to see how it affected my father, too.”

His father, John Cotter, served in the army between 1939 and 1945 as part of Australia’s World War Two efforts.

“My father was wounded in New Guinea, and they thought he might have lost an eye from the injuries,” Cotter said.

“He was sent home and I was actually born the following year.

“I was lucky – I’ve had a really good life, my daughter Anita works where I am now five days a week.”

Feevrey, 77, moved from Sydney to run a farm near Nimbin and has strong family ties in the region.

“There aren’t as many of us around anymore,” he said.

“I’m glad that I was able to live on the farm and have my daughter looking after things there now.”