The Maitland Mercury

Greta commemoration a celebration of bravery, sacrifice and the human spirit

Greta commemoration a celebration of bravery, sacrifice and the human spirit
Greta commemoration a celebration of bravery, sacrifice and the human spirit

Story sponsored by The Silky Oak Festival.

When most people think of the men training for the battlefields of war torn Europe during the 1930s and 40s or the huddled masses of refugees fleeing it a decade later, they don't think about a family day out.

They don't think about smiling children, they don't think about innocent wonderment and they especially don't think about jumping castles.

In fact, relaxation, freedom and the blissful naivety that comes from living in a safe and prosperous country is the last thing that comes to mind.

But, Brett Wild says, that's also because most people have never been in their shoes. Most people have never seen the business end of a machine gun or been forced to live under the oppressive rule of an authoritarian regime.

Few know the sacrifices one is prepared to make to protect their own children, the lengths they'll go to, the oceans they'll blindly span.

Even fewer will ever experience the mindset which compels young men and women to risk their own lives to defend their ideals; to volunteer to fight and die for the rights of people they've never met and who will never know their names.

That's why he's decided to organise a "family focused" two day event is to celebrate 80 years since the establishment of the Greta Army Camp and the 70th Anniversary of the Greta Migrant Camp.

Greta commemoration a celebration of bravery, sacrifice and the human spirit
Greta commemoration a celebration of bravery, sacrifice and the human spirit

The Silky Oak Festival will take place over two days - the weekend of November 9 and 10 - and will put equal focus on celebrating the freedoms we enjoy today as well as the multicultural and military history of the region.

Organised in conjunction with the Central Hunter Business Chamber, Hunter Multicultural Communities Inc and sponsors, the family friendly event will be jammed packed with food, culture, children's entertainment and military history.

This will include vehicles, tanks and flyovers of military aircraft from the C-130 Hercules - heavy lift aircraft to MRH-90 Taipan Helicopters to Tiger Moths.

There will also be migrant demonstrations and Scottish Pipe Bands all to commence with a full military parade, which includes the Royal Australian Navy Band, Defence Force Personnel, veterans and dignitaries, as well as the Governor General.

Both Greta Army Camp and Greta Migrant Camp hold strong historical significance and have helped shape modern Australia, Mr Wilde explained.

Between 1939 and 1949, the site trained more than 60,000 troops for the War Effort and The British and Commonwealth Occupation Forces of Japan.

Between 1949 and 1960, Greta Migrant Camp welcomed more than 100,000 migrants and refugees from Europe, all of whom would go on to become good Australian citizens. From 1960 to 1980, it again became an Army training camp, which was utilised during the Vietnam War.

"This isn't about glorifying war. It's all about commitment and sacrifice. What we need to remember is that Australia has never gone to war to defend itself," Mr Wild said, although World War Two certainly made its way to our shores in February of 1942.

Greta commemoration a celebration of bravery, sacrifice and the human spirit
Greta commemoration a celebration of bravery, sacrifice and the human spirit

"We've always gone to war to fight for and defend the rights of others. If you look at the migrant camp, that's the epitome of what 24,000 Australian troops who gave their lives were fighting for. The dual histories of the site are integrally interwoven with one another. So, you can't celebrate the Army aspect and what those men stood for without celebrating the freedoms those new migrants and their families gained as a result," he continued.

"You also can't really say one is more important than the other. It's about the courage and sacrifice of our veterans as well as the leap of faith taken by people who were prepared to come halfway around the world in search of a new and safer life."

It's hard today to truly comprehend just how significant World War Two was to the shaping of modern society. We all know how evil Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were, we know how close the Japanese Imperial Army came taking Darwin, but it's hard to understand just how dire a threat they posed in the moment.

In 1942, the great American filmmaker Frank Capra described the threat of European Fascism and Japanese Imperialism by saying: "This isn't just a war. It's a common man's struggle against those who would put him back into slavery."

"We lose it," he went on, "and we lose everything... our homes, the jobs we want to go back to, the books we read, the very food we eat, the hopes we have for our kids, our kids themselves - they won't be ours anymore - that's what's at stake. It's us or them. The chips are down. Two worlds stand against each other. One must die so the other can live."

The sacrifice it took to win that battle and the human spirit of the innocent people victimised by it, is something worth celebrating, Mr Wild says.

Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for pensioners, veterans and children under the age of 17. Family tickets are also available (two adults and two kids) and cost $45. Click here to book now.

For a full event program or more information, click here, or visit: https://www.gretaarmycamp.com.au/the-event/

Story sponsored by The Silky Oak Festival.