Engines roar and spirits soar as veterans on Harleys unite for Anzac Day

VETERANS of the Vietnam War will join those who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Timor and Somalia for this year’s Anzac Day march in Mullumbimby, riding together on their motorbikes as a powerful symbol of unity and remembrance.

Veterans Motorcycle Club northern NSW chapter president Stephen Williams said Anzac Day, which was first commemorated a year after the Gallipoli landing in 1916, holds a different meaning for everyone. But he said at its core it’s about honouring the legacy of the original Anzacs.

“On a personal level it’s also about taking a moment to reflect on my own service, the people who I served with and my time in Iraq,” he said.

Williams, who lives in Ocean Shores, served in the Second Gulf War in 2005 and has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“Where we were stationed would get rocketed two to three times a week,” he said. “Sometimes we’d see the end result of where the rocket landed and its impact, but a lot of it was about living with that constant threat and sirens in your day-to-day life for an extended period of time.

“The majority of symptoms are issues with anger. You get very short and things make you angry very quickly, as well as being in a heightened state of vigilance. I still struggle with being in large crowds and noise.”

The 54-year-old has learned to manage his condition without medication, using a range of coping strategies — one of the most effective being monthly rides with the Veterans Motorcycle Club.

He said former Australian War Memorial director Brendan Nelson once described the organisation as a “mobile PTSD treatment unit”.

“It gives younger veterans a network and community which is different to your men’s sheds and RSLs,” Williams said.

“You all get together and if someone is having bad time you get to talk it through. Members often say that a weekend ride with the guys is better than six months of therapy.”