Paul Harris, Geoff Davis and John Dunn
Three residents from The Laurels Retirement Village in Adelaide’s Mount Barker have had their portraits added to the Australian War Memorial archives as part of a nationwide project to commemorate the 70th anniversary of World War II ending.
Run by the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, the ‘Reflections’ project aims to photograph all living veterans who served in the allied forces during WWII.
Paul Harris and Geoff Davis were members of the Royal Australian Navy and John Dunn served in the Royal Australian Air Force, and all were pleased to have their portraits taken for their enduring historical value.
“It’s a very good idea, because let’s face it, we don’t last forever,” Paul says.
“It was wonderful to get such a nice photo while I’m still around.”
“I thought it was a worthwhile project,” Geoff agrees.
Sadly, John passed away in January, but his portrait will be archived alongside more than 5,000 others in recognition of his service.
For both Paul and Geoff, their experiences during the war have stayed with them throughout their lives.
“I was a week off my 18th birthday when I joined up – I wanted to be a pilot in the air force but I didn’t pass the medical, so I had six months in the army and then joined the navy during the war,” Geoff says.
“The experiences I had there, you just couldn’t get as a civilian.”
Paul was just 17 when he signed up to the navy in 1943 and had already delayed his enlistment for a year to take care of his widowed mother.
“I served on corvettes, the Bathurst and the Maryborough, sweeping for mines and convoy duties,” Paul says.
His service was marked by a number of dangerous and traumatic incidents, such as a rescue operation after the explosion of two munitions ships on 14 April 1944.
“The Bathurst was in Bombay when an ammunition ship blew up in the docks,” he remembers.
“A second blast, thirty minutes later, blew up 23 cargo ships and caused thousands of deaths.”
Coincidentally, Geoff also served on the HMAS Bathurst, albeit at a different time, and the pair would only discover their connection when they met over four decades later.
After the war, Geoff returned to his job in sales technology and Paul started a thriving wholesale hair supply business, which his son still runs to this day, before eventually retiring to The Laurels.
The two men became close friends and still catch up for a friendly game of pool every week.
The Laurels’ Village Manager, Kathy Fox, says, “We are all so proud of Paul, Geoff and John and are pleased that their service will be memorialised in the Australian War Memorial archives.”
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