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Cheevers shared the story of Vivian Bullwinkel, a second world war Australian Army nurse.<\/p>\n
Bullwinkel, the sole nurse survivor of the Bangka Island Massacre, survived three years as a prisoner of war, and was then told not to speak of her experiences upon her return to Australia.<\/p>\n
In 1946, she shared her story at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat took courage. A different kind of courage,\u201d Cheevers said.<\/p>\n
\u201cVivian Bullwinkle went on to become a leader in Australian nursing and a tireless advocate for veterans. She never stopped serving.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat she carried, largely in silence for most of her life, is one of the most profound examples of what service has asked of those who answered the call.\u201d<\/p>\n Cheevers continued, speaking to the stories that are not written in history books \u2013 the ones that aren\u2019t in official records or even in the letters still held onto by families and histories.<\/p>\n She asked the crowd to consider the conditions in which these letters were written \u2013 physically and emotionally \u2013 and the courage hidden behind was not shared.<\/p>\n \u201cThey write about the weather, about food, about small routines and familiar things,\u201d Cheevers said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey tell the people at home that they are fine, that there is nothing to worry about, that they are managing. And sometimes it was true, but often it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat sits behind those words, what was left out, deliberately, carefully, tells us something profound.<\/p>\n \u201cThese men and women understood something about the people they loved; they understood that whatever they wrote, whoever would read it, would carry it.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, they made a choice. Not out of weakness, not out of denial, but out of care. A quiet, deliberate act of protection.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll carry this so that you do not have to.\u201d<\/p>\n Cheevers message was one carried throughout the service by master of ceremonies Andrew Smitten and deputy prime minister Richard Marles.<\/p>\n Both men honoured the work and efforts of servicepeople from early battles in the first world war to the experiences of the modern veteran.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/04\/IMG_3306_42187-1024x768.jpg\")
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