George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I pay tribute to one of Mackay's World War II veterans, Douglas Montgomerie Edmonds, better known as Monty, who died on 22 November aged 95 and whose funeral is being held in Mackay today. Born in 1924 Monty was about six months shy of enlistment age but he fudged some figures to sign up in November of 1942. He went from the family cane farm at Hampden outside of Mackay to the tropical rainforests of Port Moresby where he was one of the diggers who defended Australia from Japanese forces in the jungles of New Guinea. Monty's 2/12th Battalion was later posted to Borneo where he fought in the battle of Balikpapan.

In a book of memoirs entitled Too Young for War written many years later for family members, Monty gave an insight into the horrors he had faced. He told of prayers before battle, celebrating his 21st birthday with a tin of bully beef and biscuits and the joyous return home on the HMAS Implacable among 2,000 singing troops.

Monty was a regular at Anzac Day services. He was in fine form when I saw him last at the Kuttabul RSL service this year. Monty was a Mackay boy who became a man on the battlefields of New Guinea and Borneo. He fought bravely and with honour. On behalf of all the people of Dawson, and I would assume all of the people in this chamber, I thank him and his family for his service. Monty Edmonds, we salute you.