Day of dedication for nation's ex-POWs

WHILE many of the ex-POWs it honours are well into their 80s and 90s, the Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War memorial will mark its seventh birthday this Sunday. A trustee of the POW memorial, Les Kennedy, said organisers expect a crowd of around 1000 and will provide 500 chairs under cover."About a thousand people come from all over Victoria and interstate," Mr Kennedy said.The POW Association has just over 1000 members Australia-wide but with many of these people now in their 90's Mr Kennedy said the group was losing members at a rate of three or four per week."It's amazing these guys last so long after what they went through - the brutality, starvation and disease," he said. Mr Kennedy said throughout the wars 8000 Australians died while in captivity with more than 4000 buried in unmarked graves. This year's day of dedication will follow a similar order of service to previous years.Throughout the hour-long ceremony there will be hymns, a wreath laying ceremony and prayers.Repatriation Commissioner Major General Mark Kelly is expected, as is guest speaker Doctor Andrew Fock.Local men, David Manning, 87, and Bill Wilkie, 85, are two ex-POWs taking part in this year's ceremony."There are also three ex-POWs doing readings and, while they are still able to, we would like them to take part in the service," Mr Kennedy said. The seventh anniversary service will begin at 11am this Sunday at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.