My 93-year-old WWII veteran dad is being stopped from marching on Anzac Day
Gail Riley, from Melbourne, Victoria, writes about her father, a 93-year-old WWII vet from New Zealand, who dreams of marching on Anzac Day in Melbourne with Aussie vets. However, there’s one roadblock stopping her dad’s dream.
My Dad, Ivan Grbich, is a New Zealand WWII veteran who served as a wireless operator and air gunner in the Royal New Zealand air force. Now at the age of 93, his dearest dream is to march with the Australian WWII veterans in Melbourne on Anzac Day. He wants the experience of sharing the day with Aussie returned soldiers, to stand side by side as they once did, and march with them to honour the loyalty and respect shared by the two countries so many years ago.
My father is ready and able to do this, but there is one problem. Three years ago he met and married a now 82-year-old South African lady, who was visiting her daughter in New Zealand at the time. It was a whirlwind romance that surprised everyone. People were sceptical but they have now been married for three years and are still very much in love. They’re two peas in a pod and my Dad would never think to leave her side. Unfortunately, because she has a South African passport, they have struck issues with immigration in obtaining a visitor’s visa for her. Nobody knew how difficult it would be to get a tourist visa, it’s not like she wants to immigrate! They’ve made us jump through hoops with the amount of paperwork needed and yet it seems likely that approval may not come through in time for Dad to realise his dream to march in Melbourne on Anzac day.
It would mean so much to him to come to Melbourne and march in the parade with his fellow WWII vets. He is proud and honoured to have served and at this stage of his life, he has become much more reflective of his life and opened up about his time during the war. But while we can listen to his stories, we weren’t there, and he wishes to share his experience with people who understand.
He has frequently spoken of the camaraderie between the New Zealand and Australian Forces, both on land and overseas in those turbulent times. He met many Australian men when he was sent to Canada to train at the age of 20, as well as his time spent in the Pacific as part of the No. 3 Bomber Squadron, serving as a radio operator and air gunner in the Pacific. He was stationed in Bougainville doing bombing runs on the invading Japanese, when the Australian army took over occupation from the Americans in 1945. The New Zealanders were reunited with the Australians and from then on, the two forces remained in close contact. Eventually his squadron ended their service in the Pacific encamped with the Australian army at Jacquinot Bay on New Britain. I remember him telling us how the Australian army fed the Kiwis along with their own personnel and would jokingly complain that the cost of feeding the Kiwis was more than what it cost to fight the Japanese. The teasing that was constant between the two forces lightened up the darker side of war and today he still speaks of how important that was to both sides.
With less than a week to go to Anzac Day, it seems his dream won’t be fulfilled. It’s such a shame as it might be the last chance he gets to realise this dream. While we can try again next year, a year is a long time and we don’t know what the future holds. We live in hope!
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