Report By President Owen Marshall
On the 15th. February 2017 a service was held at the Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial in Ballarat to mark the 75th Anniversary of the fall of Singapore.
I was invited by the Minister for Veterans Affairs The Hon Dan Tehan MP and the Trustees of the Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial.
Some 16 ex POWS were in attendance, all of course in their 90s. Other Official guest were the Governor General, The Commissioner of Singapore, the Commissioner of India, and a representative of Malaysia. The service was attended by many other official guests, too numerous to mention.
It was a very moving service and after the service people with relatives were invited to go to the memorial wall to place a poppy, the names of all ex POWs are engraved there. I placed a poppy alongside my Uncle Robert Shelton’s name.
Official guests and I then attended a lunch. It gave me the opportunity to speak with the GG and other guests. I received a follow up email from The Commissioner for India inviting if in Canberra to meet and continue our conversation.
