Editorial: Take time to listen to war stories

Rebecca Malcolm.

It struck me recently that my children's generation are - in my family at least - going to be the first who don't hear first hand the horror tales of war.

When I was a kid, my grandparents had experienced the days of World War II. Many of my peers were the same - with either grandparents or great-aunties or uncles who had stories to tell.

Not that I heard too many of those stories. While there was always a sense of intrigue about my Poppa's missing toes (reportedly from a cannon blast that went wrong in Egypt) and his lack of hearing was always put down to "the war" but, really, the tales he came back with weren't told.

We did, however, watch him march in the Dawn Parade, medals proudly on display. Anzac Day always came with a sense of anticipation - both pride and sadness.

Perhaps more stories would have been passed down if we'd tried harder, delved into things a bit more, but now it's too late.

Which is why it's so important for us to share the stories of the likes of local Vietnam veteran Danny McCort, who talks to Matthew Martin about his experiences, in today's edition. Stories like his are the best chance for our younger generation to learn of the sacrifices made.

Many reading this today will already have gone to the Dawn Service - the popularity of which seem to grow year on year. Others will be preparing to head to the city's Civic Service.

Whatever form your commemoration takes today, take a minute to listen to those stories that are being passed down, whether from loved ones or from strangers.

For many of us, they could (hopefully) be the only link to the days of war that we will ever know.