THREE World War Two veterans representing all those who could not be present, sat quietly as The Last Post played across Port Macquarie's town centre on Saturday morning.
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On August 15, 75 years earlier, the silence was as powerful. The gunfire ceased. The war was declared over.
Victory in the Pacific marked the end of World War Two for Australia. Freedom had been won, but at the expense of many young lives. The scars left by the horrors of the conflicts across the globe at that time run deep.
And then we knew - we can finally go home.
- Ross Drummond
For our veterans Ross Drummond, Jean Lacey and Theodore Neville Peel-Davis, the importance of VP Day remains in the present, not the past. The fact as a nation we can come together as a mark of respect for the legacy left by those who made the ultimate sacrifice is what matters. Their stories matter.
Mr Drummond is 95. He fought in the Pacific and was with his regiment in Darwin the day peace was declared.
"It was just another day," Mr Drummond remembered. "And then we knew - we can finally go home."
Mr Peel-Davis served with the signals unit in Balikpapan in Borneo. He said it is important to acknowledge the significance of war and engage in the stories that have helped shape the present.
Jean Lacey, representing ex-servicewomen, said it was very special to hold a service amid the difficulties presented by the COVID health pandemic.
Greg Laird, president of the Port Macquarie RSL sub-Branch - one of the biggest in NSW with 440 members, was thrilled people were able to acknowledge such a special anniversary.
The Hastings District Highland Pipe Band played The Battle's O'er at the Tacking Point lighthouse headland, as a part of a worldwide bagpipe tribute to the VP Day anniversary.
Pipers, drummers, buglers, trumpeters, cornet players, town criers and churches take part in the commemoration around the world. The first pipes start in New Zealand and end in Hawaii some 22 hours later.
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