A N Z A C D AY S P E C I A L
Wartime childhood forges an RSL veteran S GT R O N S U T TO N ’S M E M O R I E S O F H I N T E R L A N D WA R Y E A R S By Alan Lander RON Sutton may never have fought a war, but he lived through one, prepared for one, and has been a stalwart for the RSL for more than 45 years. He’s earned his stripes. All three of them. The Cooroy larrikin, 86, is also a collector of World War Two military vehicles, which have often been used for Anzac Day marches, but he’s had to lighten the load - they’re in high demand these days. “I had four until recently, and sold one,” Ron said. “I didn’t even have to offer it for sale. All I had to do was say how much.” Ron and his wife Betty were both born locally in the thirties, and both grew up during the conflict of World War Two. “I was eight years old in 1942 and well aware of what was going on,” Ron said.
“I lived at Belli Park, we had staging camps all around.” One night he had an unexpected visitor. “This bloke turned up at our place, a big, bronzed soldier. “I thought he worked for my dad pre-war, but he had been a Rat of Tobruk. “His name was Len Barritt, he’d come back and didn’t want to go to New Guinea, so he was AWOL. “He was here for a couple of weeks and the authorities somehow got to know, and the last time I saw him he was going down the road in the ‘birdcage’ (military paddy wagon), and they took him – and sent him to New Guinea. “Len was KIA (killed in action) at Milne Bay.” That was an indelible thing put in my mind forever.” But there was plenty of cooperative interaction with the troops, whether Australian or American. “There was a fuel dump near where we lived full of 40-gallon drums of petrol. I’d never seen so much fuel. Four guys lived under a tent fly to service it. It was Australian vehicles only. “Half a bucket of milk went round there every morning … and there wasn’t any petrol rationing in our area,” Ron said wryly. “At night, the diggers came round with shirts stuffed with things from the kitchens, Mum would bake cakes while they played cards all hours of the night - and that happened all over the country, where these people were miles away from home, looking for a bit of social life. “A dance was held at Belli Hall every Saturday night. A solider tried to drive a Jeep up the steps one night to get in the hall. “He couldn’t get it up the last steps. My dad had to persuade him it wasn’t a good idea.”
Ron Sutton at Cooroy RSL. Photos by Alan Lander or contributed.
Compulsory national Service was introduced after the war, and as soon as Ron turned 18 in 1952, he had to do 98 days’ basic training full time - three annual camps - and was bound over five years for call-up. “We had four instructors – three of them were ex-Rats of Tobruk. One of them Lt. Fred Fink was awarded the Military Medal in the desert then got a bar to it in New Guinea. “(So) when they said ‘jump’, we said ‘yes sir’. “Discipline was not too bad for me as I had been to boarding school: I understood ‘you take orders, you don’t give them’.” He also passed the challenging sergeant’s exam before the whole conscription setup was disbanded. Otherwise, a long career in the timber industry took up Ron’s life, including running, with three partners, their own successful timber mill at Wondai which he increased from 17 employees to 46 in his time. Ron joined Cooroy’s RSL in 1974, rising to become one of the great pioneers of the club, ensuring the building standing today was made a reality – and playing a founding role in building the estimated 4000-membership of the club today, with 258 sub-branch members. Ron was also the force behind Cooroy RSL being only the second club to open membership up to citizens. His wife Betty has also been a driving force for the RSL, having spent the last 20 years compiling a written and pictorial history of the town’s RSL. It’s arguable that World War Two veterans have been somewhat overshadowed by the focus upon the events of World War One and Gallipoli in particular. “What overshadows WW2 is the Vietnam era,” Ron continued. “People of today have never known the fear of their homeland being invaded as in 1942. Many of them were not born before the end of WW2.” Consequently RSL is run by mainly by Vietnam veterans . “That’s how the thing tends to be overlooked, if you want to say that. (And) it doesn’t get the significance that it should as well as WW1 as (that war) was so defining for our country. “We’re now trying to encourage more of the young vets to come in, but job situations are different these days, and it’s tougher with partners, kids, work, schools and so much more to consider. “But that’s the future, not us; we’re going to fade away. “Even the Vietnam vets are passing on. “We’re down to six WW2ers. Most are in their nineties now. “It’s amazing what they went through in WW2 to come back and live to be nearly 100.”
Ron Sutton as a conscript in 1952
Ron and Betty Sutton with their 1942 Jeep
ANZAC Day marches are going ahead this year, Ron Sutton says. “Yes, there will be a march in Cooroy as usual, in the same location,” he said. “The dawn service will be on as usual at the Cenotaph at 4.30am; that usually attracts a fairly big crowd.” Ron said the Light up the Dawn alternative event last year “was a terrific success”. “We were at Rainbow Beach: the whole street lit up. It was a fantastic effort by the community. “We don’t have to do that this year, but I dare say a lot of people will.” Ron said the rules due to Covid were so much more complicated thus making a lot more work for the RSL Sub-branch committee. Ron said that he does not hold any committee position due to health issues, so he will be a passenger in a jeep for this years march. “But it’s good to see we have good people who have stood up and taken the job on.” Ron said. April 2021 Your Local Lifestyle | Page 17
