Provost Norm McFarland
This was one of the first blog posts I ever wrote of value. With the recent Windows Live Spaces to WordPress migration it was lost but thankfully a cached version still exists on Google’s servers that I was able to retrieve. Thank you Google.
Given that today is ANZAC Day I thought it would be fitting to republish this post in remembrance of Poppy Norm.
My (maternal) Grandfather Robert Norman “Norm” McFarland – or Poppy Norm as we call him – was an amazing man.
When in Sydney I would attend the local Anzac Day dawn service in Hornsby, where Pop lived the majority of his 85 plus years. Each year I watched Pop march, looking on with admiration and respect, but unable to properly empathise with the experiences he endured as a young man during the war.
A veteran of World War II, Norm enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force in 1940 at only 16 and a half. He lied about his age in order to serve his country 18 months before he was technically eligible to volunteer. From there he underwent five days of basic training in Sydney and soon found his way to India and then Greece as a member of the Provost Corps.
I had heard Pop talk a bit about his travels and experiences during the war, particularly his affiliation with motorbikes as a Provost in Europe and the Middle East, but never in great detail. Last month though, a two page feature was published in VEMA: The Greek Australian Newspaper, profiling Norm and his service during the time he spent in Greece.
The article penned by George Moscos has given me a new appreciation for the extraordinary life of my Grandfather as a soldier risking his life in a foreign country at such a young age. Especially considering, for me at that age, my biggest concern was getting my driver’s licence and earning a few extra dollars to buy CD’s and petrol.
George’s article helps to convey the reality of life as an ANZAC during the Greek Campaign and provides a historical insight into the events that led to the eventual Allied retreat. But it also helps to illustrate my Grandfather the soldier; a brave, loyal and dignified man – the same man he is today – only a little younger.
From now on, when I stand in the freezing cold at the Hornsby cenotaph on Anzac Day watching Pop march I will hopefully be able to feel a greater sense of empathy towards the experiences he went through so that my generation will never have to.
From Georges article: “The Norman McFarland’s of this country deserve recognition. They are an example to the generation of today – an example of what service, duty and humility mean. Their example gives us hope and inspiration for the future.”
The full article can be downloaded here in PDF format
1st page: http://cid-7064430ffdbd7884.office.live.com/self.aspx/Public/VEMA%20290707%20page%2011-28.pdf
2nd page: http://cid-7064430ffdbd7884.office.live.com/self.aspx/Public/VEMA%20290707%20page%2011-29.pdf
Miss you Pop
