Contributed

Well, here we are on the verge of Anzac Day but, due to the current lockdown situation, we are unable to attend marches or Remembrance ceremonies.

Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t remember those special people who have gone before us.

I would like to share the memory of two of them ... icons of our community,  who have left us but will never be forgotten.

They are Major Len Friend (Retired) or just plain “Lennie” to all who knew him, and the wonderful June Dorsett (nee Topp).

June was a lifelong resident of Woombye and part of the local fabric for many decades. She held various jobs and was still running a Dental Surgery well into her 70s.

But it was in “retirement” she excelled by becoming a vital fund raiser for St Margaret’s Church, Woombye. She would sit out the front of the church every Friday and Saturday selling jams, pickles, chutney and her famous tomato relish as well as bric-a-brac etc.  She always had a smile and a good word for everyone.

She served her country with her twin sister as an ambulance driver during the War and was the last living name (Topp) on the Cenotaph in the Woombye Memorial Park, along with her sister and brother Aub.  At her funeral service, her coffin was draped with the Australian Flag, an honour only bestowed upon those who had served their country in time of war.

Then we have “Lennie” who was involved in everything associated with helping others, particularly veterans.  He was a member of the Woombye Light Horse Troop, Nambour Seniors, Neighbourhood  Watch, Presbyterian Church, Woombye Palmwoods Lodge, W.C.B.A.  You name it, he was in it. 

He told me many stories of his brief visit to Vietnam as an observer and how it imprinted on his soul the futility of war and the bravery of those involved.

He always read the Ode at the Anzac Day Ceremony in Woombye and marched in the Nambour March until his death at 88 just before Anzac Day in 2018.

Lennie was also responsible for single-handedly reviving Remembrance Day in Woombye a few years prior to his passing as well as taking the salute of the annual Beersheba Day parade.

Lennie’s epitaph would be, “Here lies an Officer and a Gentleman!”

Both of these people are highly revered by those who knew them and are never forgotten ... and especially not on Anzac Day.

Vale June and Lennie. Lest We Forget.