World War II veteran John Wilkinson is a decorated war hero who has never forgotten the pride of defending his country.
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Sergeant Major Wilkinson is now 103-years-old and living in Leeton - a far cry from his time on the frontline in the jungle of New Guinea during World War II.
However, while time may have softened some of his memories of that period of his life, most of it remains in clear focus.
Sgt Major Wilkinson grew up in Adelaide and that is where he signed up to the Australian Army in May, 1941 when he was 20-years-old, which was the minimum age requirement.
"It was the right thing to do," he said.
His father was a war veteran himself, with Sgt Major joining the Cadets as a schoolboy.
"My father was particularly keen for me to join the artillery (when I enlisted), he had been in infantry and had been wounded in France," Sgt Major said. "He persuaded me to join with the artillery, but I was bored stiff in the artillery. It was gun drills, gun drills, gun drills. I became a gun layer, which means you sit alongside the gun and pull the trigger lever." After his enlistment, initial training was completed at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills.
Before departing Australian shores for New Guinea, Sgt Major Wilkinson was stationed in Darwin from July 25, 1941.
He was in Darwin when it was bombed on February 19, 1942 when Japanese fighters and bombers attacked the port and shipping in the harbour twice during the day, killing 252 Allied service personnel and civilians.
"I was in the artillery (in Darwin) and we were digging in a gun at the harbour and all of a sudden we saw this huge formation of planes coming over," Sgt Major Wilkinson said.
"They were accompanied by Zero Fighters (military aircraft). One (Japanese) fighter flew near us ... so we dug in even faster.
"Then the bombers came over in perfect formation. A huge number of bombers. They bombed the hell out of Darwin."
It would be another year before Sgt Major was shipped overseas for duty, arriving in New Guinea in 1943.
It was here that he spent some time in hospital, but it proved to be a visit that would pay off down the line.
During his hospital stay in New Guinea, Sgt Major Wilkinson found a Pigeon English dictionary in the bedside cupboard.
He started to flick through it and eventually came to pick up some of the language.
When he headed out into the jungle, there was a platoon of Native New Guinea residents who were working under the command of an Australian Sergeant.
This particular Sergeant contracted malaria and Sgt Major Wilkinson was the only one on hand who knew a smattering of Pigeon English.
"So they said 'alright you take the boys and go up front'," Sgt Major Wilkinson said.
"So I did and I got along well with them. After that I had to return the boys to their company. The Captain in charge said 'you seem to get on pretty well with the boys, would you like to join us?', I said 'yes sir, but I don't think the artillery will let me go'."
It was his time with the New Guinea boys, as he calls them, which Sgt Major treasures to this day.
They fought alongside each other fighting the Japanese day in and day out.
The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January, 1942 until the end of the war in August, 1945.
It resulted in a crushing defeat and heavy losses for the Empire of Japan and was a major reason why Australia stands how it stands today.
Sgt Major Wilkinson stayed on in New Guinea following the declaration of peace to assist with Prisoner of War camps that housed Japanese soldiers. He returned to Adelaide and was officially discharged from the Australian Army after his decorated service in 1946.
Sgt Major Wilkinson said he looks back on that time of his life with many different feelings, but was proud of his service and the connections and friendships he made with "his boys" in New Guinea.
Soon after the war, Sgt Major Wilkinson met the love of his life named Joan.
The pair were married, with a son named Peter and a daughter named Susie completing their family.
Their daughter, Susie Rowe, is no stranger to Leeton shire residents having been part of the community for many years.
Sgt Major Wilkinson also had a successful career after the war in the agricultural industry.
He eventually settled on a farm at Coleambally and only recently made the move to Leeton.
Sgt Major Wilkinson is preparing to take part in Leeton's Anzac Day main service on Thursday, April 25 to honour his service and reflect on the sacrifices made by all during times of war.
It will be his first time participating in Leeton. For the past several years Sgt Major Wilkinson has marched in Sydney's main service, but he was looking forward to participating in Leeton's commemorations.
