AN Alstonville RSL president who once struggled to attend Anzac Day now leads one of the region’s largest services after finding support through the local veteran community.<\/p>\n
John Porter, now in his fourth year as president, said he never expected to take on the role but now sees it as a place of belonging.<\/p>\n
The RSL has a long history in Alstonville, with its memorial spaces housing artefacts from multiple conflicts.<\/p>\n
“The day I walked in here, I felt at home,” Porter said.<\/p>\n
“Up until a couple of years ago I couldn’t even go to Anzac Day.<\/p>\n
“I suffered from post-traumatic stress, but I found support and I found a home here.<\/p>\n
“We speak about better times and the people here really support each other.<\/p>\n
“Everything inside the building has been donated over time, we’ve got items from the first and second world wars, the Vietnam war, peacekeeping, it all tells a story.”<\/p>\n
A former Royal Australian Air Force officer, Porter served for 28 years and accumulated around 14,000 flying hours.<\/p>\n
During his career he was part of tactical operations, humanitarian missions and deployments alongside special forces.<\/p>\n
“I was chief loadmaster on C-130s and worked with 36 Squadron, which was a tactical squadron working closely with the SAS,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We went to Somalia, Egypt, Israel and I flew with the United Nations and the MFO.<\/p>\n
“I’ve been all over the world and my last deployment was Cambodia in 1996 to 1997.”<\/p>\n
“We were involved in evacuating orphans out of the killing fields. I went back only last year trying to find closure, but I still haven’t fully found it.”<\/p>\n
Now approaching 70, Porter said one of his priorities is ensuring younger generations continue to engage with remembrance traditions.<\/p>\n
Alstonville’s Anzac Day services are among the largest in the region for its population, with 3,000 to 4,000 lining the streets for the march each year.<\/p>\n
Porter said the RSL prepares for months to ensure the event continues to honour veterans while remaining community led.<\/p>\n
“The older generation is getting smaller, but the younger kids are really stepping up,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There are a lot of ex-military and service people out there, but they often don’t join until later in life. We want to change that.<\/p>\n
“We don’t receive funding from anywhere; everything comes from the community. We’re very privileged to have that support.”<\/p>\n
Porter said the local history highlights figures such as Victoria Cross recipient Paddy Bugden, whose legacy remains central to Anzac Day in the area.<\/p>\n
“People like Paddy Bugden are part of why this community has such a strong connection to Anzac Day,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Young men from this farming community went away to war and many never came back.<\/p>\n
“It’s about remembrance of what people went through to make this country what it is, and it’s about making sure that sacrifice is never forgotten.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AN Alstonville RSL president who once struggled to attend Anzac Day now leads one of the region’s largest services after finding support through the local veteran community. John Porter, now in his fourth year as president, said he never expected to take on the role but now sees it as a place of belonging. The […]<\/p>\n