Second World War nurse marks Victory in the Pacific
A message from Australian War Widows Queensland
In August, centenarian veteran Faye Clarke led the march to commemorate Victory in the Pacific when two new statues were unveiled at Kings Beach, Caloundra, Queensland.
Australian War Widows Queensland member Faye Clarke, 104, served as a nurse in Australia, Borneo, and Papua New Guinea during the Second World War.
Faye was a part of a special event to commemorate Japan’s unconditional surrender in 1945.
Two bronze statues depicting a nurse, tending to a wounded soldier and a soldier standing guard over a parade ground, were unveiled at Kings Beach.
During the war, and estimated 25,000 soldiers marched across the golden sands of Kings Beach, used as a military parade ground, 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.
The commemoration was 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.
The event included 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.
‘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 are not just honoured but celebrated forevermore.’
