General News
2 May, 2024
Lest we forget
A TERANG veteran’s sacrifice paid during the Korean War was immortalised in Panmure as part of last week’s Anzac Day services.
A plaque was unveiled at the Panmure War Memorial during last Thursday’s ANZAC Day service, commemorating the life of Private Geoffrey McCunnie of the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) who was killed in the Korean War on October 8, 1951, aged 22.
The plaque was unveiled by 97-year-old Terang resident Pat Glennen, the sister of Pte. McCunnie.
She said she was proud to be involved in the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the sacrifice of soldiers during an often-overlooked war which claimed the lives of 340 Australians.
“I felt very moved because I always felt nobody ever thought of the Korean War much,” Ms Glennen said.
“Its good people have remembered it.
“It makes people appreciate more what some of the younger ones did.
“It was hard for them to go and hard for their families to see them go.”
Ms Glennen remembered her brother as a good-hearted young man with a wonderful sense of humour.
“He was a bit of a larrikin who always seemed to be in a bit of trouble, but he was really good hearted,” she said.
The history of the Korean War was compiled by Warrnambool’s Shane O’Keeffe as guest speaker, himself a national serviceman who served in Vietnam from 1969-1971 and is now a Victorian RSL compensation advocate.
He recounted the history of “the forgotten war,” a three-year period in which Australia offered its support to South Korea following an invasion by North Korean forces.
“Only five years after World War Two, Australia became involved in a war on the Korean peninsula,” Mr O’Keeffe said.
“Australia was the second of 21 nations to commit to the UN Forces in that war.”
Mr O’Keeffe spoke of the history of 3RAR throughout the war, including the battalion’s first battle of the war in Yongju, and subsequent notable battles in Pakchon, Kapyong and Maryang San.
It was during the later battle in which 3RAR Pte. Geoffrey McCunnie would be killed in action alongside 19 other Australian soldiers plus a further 89 wounded.
“The Korean War was overshadowed by the two conflicts which sit either side of it,” Mr O’Keeffe said.
“World War Two, and the Vietnam War with all its controversies.
“It was for this reason it received the moniker, The Forgotten War, but no war should be forgotten.
“Not least one of this significance, on such a day as this.”
Panmure Action Group chairman Ian Wallace, himself a veteran, said it was “extremely important” to be able to honour those from the south west who had served.
He said it was an honour to be able to do so with Ms Glennen as a special guest to unveil the plaque in memory of her brother, and those who served along side him.
“There’s not many people left from the Korean War, let alone World War Two, so to have (Pat) here to unveil her brother’s plaque is something we think is pretty special,” Mr Wallace said.
He said he was pleased to see so many members of the community in attendance to pay their respects, and thanked all the volunteers for their dedication behind the scenes.
“There’s a lot of work, but it’s not all done by one person – there are a lot of people who make this happen,” Mr Wallace said.
Panmure has made it something of a tradition to unveil a plaque in honour of locals who served their country on Anzac Day.
As Western District Newspapers reported last year, a plaque was unveiled to pay tribute to the locals who served during the Vietnam war.
“We enjoy what we’re doing, we think we’re on to a pretty good theme here and we’ll work for something next year too,” Mr Wallace said.
“I don’t know what we’ll do next year, but we’ll certainly do something.”
