His face is fresh and unlined amid a crowd of grizzled old fellows paying homage to fallen service personnel, but the medals Ricky Kirkham wears are his own.
While the original Anzacs have all passed away and World War II veterans are now mostly in their 90s, Kirkham represents a new face for the enduring Anzac spirit.
At 24, he is the youngest member of the Whittlesea RSL and he was only 13 when the last Anzac, Alec Campbell, died in 2002. But the spirit of the Gallipoli diggers inspires Kirkham.
“This [Anzac] day is a time to reflect on the courage, determination and resolve the Anzacs displayed under tough circumstances,” he says.
Kirkham, a Whittlesea councillor, will wear his own three silver medals at the Epping RSL dawn service and at the Whittlesea RSL’s march at 2.30pm on April 25.
He earned the Australian Active Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Australian Defence Medal after serving with the RAAF and was deployed to the Middle East.
The former Leading Aircraftman wore the midnight blue RAAF dress uniform and the sandy coloured battle fatigues from 2006 – when he joined at age 17 – until 2011.
His great grandfather, Staff Sergeant Phillip Hardcastle, served in the Australian army ordinance corps in World War II in the Pacific region, and although he had passed away by the time Kirkham was born, his service inspired Kirkham.
As a teenager, Kirkham became an RAAF air cadet, going to flying camps and learning to pilot Cessna aircraft, until he left school to join the RAAF as an on-the-ground logistical support team member.
Officially, Kirkham was a member of an “air load team” based in Kuwait to support Australian troops in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. What it meant was loading vital cargo on to aircraft, checking the weight and balance of the loads and passengers to prevent crashes and even belting in soldiers kitted out with so much gear they couldn’t do it themselves.
“Without logistics, there is no [military]mission,” he says. “We get the personnel, equipment and resources there [the conflict zone].” Kirkham was a member of Operation Slipper – Australia’s contribution to the Afghanistan war effort which will end as troops are withdrawn by 2014 – and supported Australian troops in Afghanistan from July to December, 2009.
During this time, Kirkham met members of the allied forces who recognised and welcomed Aussies because of the Anzac legend.
Whittlesea RSL president Emmanuel “Ned” Pannuzzo is 67, but the Vietnam veteran sees himself reflected in the young Kirkham.
“Ricky is 24. I was 23 when I came back from one tour of Vietnam and was wearing medals at 24,” the former army private says.
“We need people like Ricky, and we need the relatives of service people who have passed away to keep the Anzac spirit alive.”
The Whittlesea RSL march starts at the Whittlesea Bowling Club at 2.30pm on April 25.
