Diggers to visit Olympics

Woy Woy resident, Mr Bill Hall, will accompany four World War I diggers to the Olympics.

Mr Hall received an invitation from the Department of Veteran Affairs to take the four ex-servicemen to gymnastics in Sydney.

The four diggers are Mr Guy Bard, 104, Mr Ted Smout, 102, Mr Eric Abrahams, 102, all from Queensland and Mr Charlie Mance, 99, from Merrylands, NSW, who is "just a baby", according to Mr Hall.

Mr Hall, who has received an Order of Australia and a British Empire medal, said: "It was a bloody pleasant surprise to be invited to take the diggers and I am very happy about it."

The diggers were flown down and all expenses paid by the Commemoration section of the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Mr Hall has had a long association with World War I veterans, having looked after their needs from 1960.

He initiated the return of Anzacs to Gallipoli in 1990 by approaching the then Minister of Defence, Mr Kim Beasley.

"The emotion at Gallipoli on that visit was overwhelming," he said.

He also initiated the Gallipoli scholarship which is open to descendants of Anzacs attending university in NSW or the ACT.

Each year under the scholarship, two grants of $3000 for a year are given to descendants under the age of 25 based on "60 per cent necessity and 40 per cent merit".

Mr Hall himself served in World War II and was enlisted from October 1939 to December 1946.

He served in the UK, the Middle East including the siege of Tobruk and twice in New Guinea against the Japanese.

An ex-state president of the RSL, he formed the First World War Association in 1979.

"We used to go out regularly, but there is very few World War I diggers left," he said.

Mr Hall said there was only two Gallipoli veterans left and about 23 World War veterans all up.

The four he will accompany to the Olympics fought on the Western Front.

Carl Spears, September 20