WWII vets must walk in parade

Albany war veterans believe they are being “shunned” from inclusion in the Anzac centenary commemorative march along York Street after being told they must be capable of walking 600m to be involved.

Veterans 93-year-old Murray Maxton and his 90-year-old brother Eric were looking forward to being part of the centenary march to honour the Anzacs.

However, a Department of Veterans’ Affairs ruling to exclude vehicles and horses from the parade means they will likely have to be bystanders.

The brothers are among the last surviving airmen who fought in World War II and have been prominent figures in Albany’s Anzac Day march for the past 20 years.

Murray said while he was capable of taking part in the march, his brother would struggle to make the distance and like in the days when they were in combat, he wouldn’t leave his brother’s side.

“We can’t go if we’re not allowed to get a ride,” he said.

“I could, but I’m not going to walk alone.”

Murray’s wife Pat called the decision a “disgrace”, saying they felt like they had been “thrown in the rubbish bin”.

“They don’t want them there, and that’s how they feel, that they’re not wanted,” she said.

“They were shunned when they first came back and they’re still being shunned.”

Albany RSL sub-branch member Tony Demarteau moved a motion at the branch’s recent annual general meeting to boycott involvement in the march.

He said he wanted to show the Federal Government how passionate he felt about the banning of horses and vehicles in the parade, but the motion was unanimously defeated.

Fellow RSL member Colin Lockyer said it was “cruel” to leave out veterans who could not walk.

“Age shall not weary them, but they have got weary, they have got old and we’ve forgotten them,” he said.

Albany MLA Peter Watson said the “baton has been dropped” by the banning of horses and vehicles in the centenary parade.

“Everything else has gone really well, but these two issues,” he said.

“We’ve got these old diggers who have been away to war and due to old injuries or old age, they can’t march.

“When they come past at the march-past on Anzac Day, they get the biggest cheer of the lot.”

A Department of Veterans’ Affairs spokeswoman said the Albany Centenary Commemorative Event committee was working to accommodate ex-serving members with mobility issues.

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