By JESSE GRAHAM
“AT THE going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.”
Those words, which make up part of the Anzac tribute, The Ode, ring especially true for Mount Evelyn’s Margaret Paynter, whose grandfather fought for his country in World War I.
Thomas James Scully served in France during the war, serving with the Second Pioneers in 1916 until he lost a leg in battle.
Though Scully was from further afield than the Yarra Ranges, Ms Paynter attends her town’s dawn service each year for Anzac Day, and said the moment reminded her of her grandfather’s fight and sacrifice.
The Ode mentions remembrance of fallen Diggers at the rise and fall of the sun, and Ms Paynter said the atmosphere during the service reminded her of that connection between soldiers and their country.
“I don’t know what it is, but just as it’s becoming light and the man’s reading out the soldiers that have died, the kookaburras start going in the background,” she said.
“It’s very Australian.”
The centenary of Anzac holds extra significance for Ms Paynter, who recently found a number of letters and cards sent from Scully back home to his wife, her grandmother, Florence, and his family back home.
One letter, from Scully’s Brother, Jack, was full of updates from back in Australia and gave an insight into the regular conversations that occurred between soldiers fighting for their country and those they were fighting for.
“My darling Tom,” the letter begins.
“Just a few lines to let you know that I am keeping splendid, hoping you are the same.”
The letter describes an upcoming trip to the beach and visits to church, before Jack signs off with “no more reports, so close with love.”
The letters and postcards were handed down to Ms Paynter by her mother and said they were an invaluable connection between her present-day family and her ancestors, who fought in the war.
“I think of all the men and women who fought for our country – I think of my grandfather and my uncle,” she said.
Though Scully lost his leg in the war – an injury he rarely talked about – Ms Paynter said he kept his spirits high, opening a florist shop in Auburn called The Limbless Soldier Florist, and living until 22 August, 1969.
And so, come rain, hail or shine, Ms Paynter and her family will be gathered among other Mount Evelyn residents on Saturday, 25 April, to pay their respects to those who put their lives on the line for their country.
For a list of Anzac Day services in the Dandenong Ranges, turn to page 11.
