Slouch hats, wartime photographs and medals bring history to life at local childcare centre

HISTORY came alive at Harmony Early Education Centre in Bangalow this week, as Byron Bay RSL vice-president Jim Rogers showcased treasured objects from the club’s memorial cabinet, including slouch hats, black and white wartime photographs and medals.

“When you march on Anzac Day you wear them on your left if you served and on the right if they belonged to a relative who served in the war,” he explained to a group of enthralled children.

He also explained that slouch hats were folded on one side to allow soldiers to carry long rifles at a slope on their shoulders, without the brim hitting the gun.

This year is the second in a row the 78-year-old has visited the centre in the lead-up to Anzac Day.

Rogers’ family has a long history of military service. Eleven of his ancestors fought in the First World War, and his father Harry served in the Second World War.

His grandfather Lindsay went to New Guinea on the HMAS Resolution when he was just 14 years old.

His father was named after his uncle Harold, who trained as a light horseman, was wounded at Gallipoli and hospitalised in Alexandria in Egypt. After recovering, he was sent to the Somme in France, where he was shot by a sniper at Mouquet Farm and later died in a hospital in London from his injuries six weeks later.

Rogers was conscripted during the Vietnam war but did not deploy after breaking his arm and ribs playing rugby. Instead, he completed his service at an infantry centre undertaking jungle warfare training in 1969 and 1970.

 

“At the time I was a little surfie in Manly,” he said. “I didn’t have a passport yet but a lot of my friends who did went on a ship to South Africa to avoid being conscripted. But it would have broken my mum’s heart and my father’s because he was a retired soldier.

“I didn’t want to go to war but I didn’t mind being in the army. It taught me resilience and made me grow up faster.”

He later reunited with a school friend who lost his hand in Vietnam when the tank he was in ran over a landmine.

“When I joined the RSL the memorabilia cabinet was in total disarray,” he said. “My dad was an artillery sergeant in the 6th division along the Kokoda Track and the coast of New Guinea and had photos of the whole campaign.

“I think it’s important for everyone to know what people went through in the past and keep history alive. The first world war was dreadful and everyone was so naïve in those days.”

Harmony Bangalow centre director Nicole Savino said the visit was warmly received.

“We thought it was a beautiful opportunity,” she said. “He’s really proud and he’s really looked after all the memorabilia.”

After the war, Rogers became a teacher at St Johns College Woodlawn in Lismore, and Savino said one of the centre’s educators had been a student there while Rogers was teaching and recognised him.

She said his visit was also a great way to connect different generations.

“We go over and visit residents at the Feros aged care facility every fortnight.”