COULD this be what will become known as the McCormack military two-step? It's a kind of shuffle where you dramatically change direction at the last minute. Michael McCormack, Minister for Veterans' Affairs and wannabe successor to Barnaby Joyce as deputy Prime Minister, has just executed the manoeuvre with prowess.
Veterans of Bomber Command last Monday expressed dismay that they had been effectively grounded by the Department of Veterans' Affairs for refusing funding for them to attend a new international memorial in Lincoln in the UK in April. Mr McCormack's department said they were too old.
Annette Guterres, secretary of the Bomber Command Association in Australia, told the Herald: "The Bomber Command family know how much it means to be there. Sadly our government does not. We started last year to lobby for support for the trip." As their requests fell on deaf ears the association started its own fund-raising with a Gofundme campaign.
But then, amid increasing criticism of the decision, Mr McCormack had a sudden change of mind. He said the government was committed to providing ongoing support, care and, above all, respect to all veterans and currently serving personnel. "The government is determined to ensure veterans and serving defence personnel are always treated with the respect they are owed given their service and sacrifice to our nation," Mr McCormack said.
Then on Friday Mrs Guterres received an email – it indicates the DVA will now fund 10 RAAF veterans as well as two WAAF members flying business class along with 10 carers to attend the event in Lincoln – known as Bomber County. It will also pay accommodation costs.
Wireless operator Tony Adams, aged 94, of Lindfield, on the north shore, said he only decided to join the visit on Saturday and didn't consider himself too old to make the trip. Apart from a hearing aid, he says he has no health issues and plays bowls twice a week in Turramurra. On the wall of his unit is a painting of a Lancaster completed by his brother, Dennis, an official war artist whose work is exhibited at the Australian War Memorial.
Mr Adams said it was "great" that the government had finally listened to their argument. "We just want to go back and pay our respects to the many comrades we lost in the war," he said. "I did have one very good mate, Arthur Plowman, we trained together in Parkes. On one occasion two Lancasters were coming back from an operation at night and they collided. All 14 were killed. I will be thinking of Arthur, his name will be on the memorial."
Bomber Command pilot Frank Mouritz, aged 94, of Busselton, WA, welcomed the news, albeit cautiously. He said he had missed a memorial visit to London in 2012 because the DVA was so disorganised and that he was given only three days notice to go and it would have entailed flying via Moscow. For that visit New Zealand and Canada put on special flights for their veterans. During World War II Mr Mouritz was based in Lincoln and flew Lancaster bombers in the City of Lincoln Squadron. He also met his wife, Kathleen, 91, the sister of his navigator, who will accompany him on the visit to the new International Bomber Command Centre.
Mr Mouritz said his aircraft was almost shot down when a German Junkers Ju 88 with twin cannons started firing at them from below. Two gunners on the Lancaster, which sustained damage to its wing and undercarriage, opened fire and the Junkers disappeared on fire into cloud. Rapidly losing fuel they managed to get back to Lincoln and landed on one wheel.
He said: "I am certainly glad the government is now going to help.They have been building this memorial for two years so the DVA should have known something like this would come up. I will go back and remember all my crew including my navigator Laurie Cooper. If he hadn't been a good navigator, I wouldn't be here now."
Kathleen said she would go back to also to remember her brother. "I remember when he brought Frank home the first time to meet our family. I thought 'What a lovely uniform!' My father let me go out with him a couple of times. I had a very strict English father – that was one of the reasons I wanted to come to Australia."
Mrs Guterres said the association would continue with the Gofundme campaign to try to cover all the costs that would not be met by the DVA, including entrance fees and meals.
She said: "My dream is that one day all Australians will know the Bomber Command story as well as they know the Anzac story."
