Dedicate memorial on first War Widows Day

The State Government has designated October 19 as a special day for the State to officially recognise war widows and widowers of members of the Australian Defence Force for their contribution and personal sacrifice.
Mrs Lucas says their day of recognition will start at 2.30pm when local war widows and sub-branch members meet at Walshaw Park, near the corner of Hector Street and the Hume Highway, at Bass Hill.
They will officially dedicate a ‘War Widows Guild’ memorial, featuring their kookaburra emblem, and then re-group at Bankstown RSL for a complimentary afternoon tea, with all war widows invited to attend.
Myra was aged just 18 when she met her dashing sailor husband Paul, 24, at a hotel in Easter 1961.
Shortly after, the mechanical engineer received orders he was being shipped to Vietnam so they got married.
“He had to sail 10 days later but I got pregnant on the honeymoon as well as the next few times he was home and we quickly had children Debrah, Susan and Sean.”
Paul was on the HMAS Melbourne when it collided with the destroyer USS Frank E. Evans of the USA Navy.
The two ships were participating in a SEATO exercise in the South China Sea on June 3, 1969. Around 3am, when ordered to a new escort station, Evans sailed under Melbourne’s bow, where she was cut in two, killing 74 of her crew.
It was Paul’s job to dive into the waters and retrieve bodies, a job that haunted him for the rest of his life.
When he returned to Australia, they were given defence force housing at Riverwood before buying a house at Yagoona.
“I think having an official War Widows Day is a wonderful idea as it’s recognition for our men and us; whatever we can do to create awareness is a good move,” she said.