AUSTRALIA’S involvement in war should be taught in schools as a way to learn from the past, Korean War veteran Ray Duckett says.
Born and bred in the western suburbs, Mr Duckett served with the Royal Australian Navy in the Korean War from August 1951 to May 1952, starting when he was 23.
Australia joined 20 other nations as part of the United Nations’ multinational force defending South Korea from communist North Korea.
“I’d only been in the navy less than 12 months and I was on Australia’s first aircraft carrier, HMAS Sydney,” Mr Duckett, now 84, remembers.
“We operated north of the 38th parallel. The 38th parallel was sort of a demarcation line; south of that was the friendlies, South Korea, and north of that was North Korea.”
Memories of being in Japan where his ship went to refuel remain vivid in Mr Duckett’s mind.
Of the more than 1500 Australian casualties, there were 340 deaths, a majority from the army.
The war lasted until 1953, but UN peacekeeping forces remained until 1957.
In 2010, the 60th anniversary marking the start of the war, Mr Duckett received a letter from South Korean president Lee Myung-bak thanking him for his role in the fight against North Korea.
Mr Duckett believes most Australians know very little about the Korean War and he would like to see the contribution of the Australian army recognised, in particular.
“Probably they need to know more about what went on in the army because the army took the brunt of it. Some of them were taken prisoner.”
He believes young people can learn valuable lessons from Australia’s role in war. “In this day and age it can be forgotten because there’s that many other issues coming up,” he says. “Especially with younger people … whatever happened before they don’t want to know about it.
“History is a great teacher, I think. When you think about it, if you want to learn anything, that’s the place to find out.
You can go back in history and see what we did and the mistakes that we made … I don’t think enough of that is done.”
A fitter and turner by trade, Mr Duckett has lived in Altona since 1952 and is a life member of the Altona RSL Club.
He will join an expected 400 people for the traditional Anzac Day dawn service next Wednesday.
The public is being asked to meet at the Altona RSL Club at 5.30am before marching to the cenotaph. A breakfast at the club will follow.
Spotswood-Kingsville RSL members will march with Newport RSL down Market Street at 1pm on Anzac Day.
■A presentation on the Shrine of Remembrance will be held on April 26 at the Altona library from 2pm.
