Unforgotten: Patrick Dungan remembers his war experiences.
ERIN PEARSON
AS THE sun breaks over the horizon on Monday, Torquay’s Patrick Dungan will pay his respects to Australia’s fallen soldiers for the 65th time.
He will also remember his own part in World War II and the man he left behind.
On the final day of fighting in 1945 Mr Dungan and three mates were on a boat planting ammunition in Papua New Guinea when a freak wave capsized their vessel.
“I got two of the boys back to shore but Jack just couldn’t swim,” Mr Dungan recalled.
“I told him to lie on his back and look at the moon and think it’s a football but when I came back to get him he was gone. I never saw him again.
“On the last day of the war I lost my best friend.”
Former Essendon VFL player Jack Keddie had been by Mr Dungan’s side for the previous six years.
Mr Dungan, 89, encouraged veterans to share their stories with younger generations.
“The young kids these days just idolise the history of the old diggers and put themselves out to talk to you,” he said.
“They take that into the next century for the next generation. The ANZAC’s will never been forgotten.”
Monday’s Torquay dawn service will begin with a march from the corner of The Esplanade and Price Street at 5.45am before arriving at Point Danger for a 6am start.
