ANZAC Day- Parting Gift

Today we remember all those of our compatriots who went abroad to serve in wars. It started with the First World War, but sadly there have been many conflicts since then. Hundreds of thousands of stories could be told, but my collage honours Ken Ross, who left to serve in WW2 and did not return.

Before he left he gave his sister this expensive bottle of talcum powder for Christmas. Ruth was devastated by the loss of her brother. She treasured his gift for years until Anzac Day 1984, when she gave it to me because she believed that I would take care of it. And so I have. On the card she has written about it.

I did not know Ruth's brother. He left New Zealand a couple of weeks before I was born. If he was anything like his sister I'm sure he served with valour. Ruth Page was a courageous woman who led the protest against the the destruction of the Nelson Railway in 1955. They tried to stop the demolition train by sitting on the railway track. You can read about her here.