For as long as Alf Scott can remember, Anzac Day has been a part of his life.
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Mr Scott’s Scottish father was one of the first soldiers to be sent to France in 1914, and was amongst the first in action on the battlefields in France.
It was in this action that Mr Scott’s father was wounded, which years later resulted in the amputation of his leg.
After the war the Scott family moved to Australia, where the tradition of attending Anzac Day services began.
Mr Scott still has fond memories of watching the marches with his father in Moree.
“When I was a young child growing up, he’d always take me over to see the Anzac march,” he said.
“He didn’t march because he had an artificial leg, but he always thought it was a wonderful thing and he’s not Australian.
“Its been a part of my life as a boy. I can remember standing with my father and mother and younger brother and I can still remember standing over near the memorial hall and watching them march down the street.”
In 1942, at the age of 18, Mr Scott followed in his father’s footsteps after being called up for military service during World War II.
Mr Scott was sent to serve in Borneo on May 1, 1945, during the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area.
He was a gunner in the artillery in the anti-aircraft attached to the 9th division at Tarakan, a small island off the coast of Borneo.
“I was a gunner - you’re gunna do this and gunna do that,” the 92-year-old joked.
“I had to know a lot of different weapons, like artillery weapons.”
Mr Scott celebrated his 21st birthday in Tarakan on July 19, 1945, a birthday he said was tinged with sadness.
“It was a very sad birthday for me, because my sister-in-law had a baby, the baby was born on the 18th and she died on the 19th, the same day as my birthday,” he said.
“I didn’t know she’d passed until I got a telegram about four days after.”
The war ended in September 1945 and Mr Scott’s division remained in Borneo until just before Christmas before they were taken to Morotai, where Mr Scott stayed until he was medically discharged in 1946, suffering from dysentery and various skin diseases.
Mr Scott made many lifelong friends and learnt a great deal during his time serving, which he said had both good and bad sides.
“When I joined I thought it was just an adventure, a chance to see the world,” he said.
“I seen it alright, it was a jungle.
“It was a lot different to what I thought.
“A lot of people say ‘I joined for God, King and Country’, well possibly you do but I think you’re looking for that adventure and you get it, it’s just a bit different to what you think.”
Mr Scott is now one of the oldest remaining World War II veterans in Moree and will once again be marching at Moree’s Anzac Day service today.