A centenarian Coast veteran, who served as a war nurse, will lead the march to commemorate Victory in the Pacific when two new statues are unveiled at King Beach.
Faye Clarke, 104, served as a nurse in Australia, Borneo, and Papua New Guinea during WWII.
She will be part of special events on Saturday to commemorate Japan’s acceptance of unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945 which meant the war was over for Australia.
Two bronze statues depicting a nurse, tending to a wounded soldier and a soldier standing guard over a parade ground, will be unveiled at Kings Beach Amphitheatre car park at 1pm.
An estimated 25,000 soldiers stood on the golden sands of Kings Beach, used as a military parade ground between 1939 and 1945, as they farewelled Australia and headed for war.
Vietnam veteran Gary Phillips said the statues represented all soldiers who paraded at Kings Beach, which is considered hallowed ground.
“The military tradition is that those who paraded on the hallowed ground, who die in combat, their spirit returns to that parade ground to wait for their mates,” Mr Phillips said.
Saturday’s commemoration will be hosted by the Caloundra RSL Sub-Branch.
Branch president Heather Christie invited the Sunshine Coast community to attend the event in honour of a significant moment in Australian history.
“This is truly a special event for Caloundra and the entire Sunshine Coast,” Ms Christie said.
“The statues will help tell our story and will honour the veterans and their loved ones from this region.”
Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace MP encouraged the community to come along to pay their respects, learn a little local history, and reflect on the sacrifices our service men and women made during World War II.
“I have been looking forward to this special event for some time as it pays tribute to our servicemen and women from the Second World War,” Mr Wallace said.
“My thoughts will no doubt go back to my grandfather Gerry, who served on HMAS Kanimbla, a passenger ship converted to an armed merchant cruiser during World War II.
“He, like almost a million Australians, served this nation gallantly and protected the freedoms we all enjoy today,” Mr Wallace said.
Events will include a catafalque party, helicopter flypast, military band, and march past.
State MP for Caloundra Jason Hunt said as a veteran he understood and fully supported this special project.
“Victory in the Pacific represents a time when our nation was most directly threatened by a foreign power and the full force of our defences were deployed alongside our allies to keep our nation safe,” he said.
“This Saturday the message of gratitude will be forever enshrined in our community’s memory with the unveiling of two magnificent bronze statues just above the Kings Beach amphitheatre.
“World War Two military history is a significant part of the fabric of Caloundra and this incredible display will ensure that our veterans and not just honoured but celebrated forevermore.”
In the evening, Caloundra RSL Sub-Branch will host a sold-out Victory in the Pacific Ball at the Caloundra Events Centre.
“It will be a re-enactment of the Victory in the Pacific Ball that took place in Caloundra about 1945/46,” Ms Christie said.
“Guests will be taken back to the 1940s with performances by the 1st Regiment Military Band, Southern Bells, The Andrews Sisters, and Kawana State College drama group.”
