A PHOTOGRAPHY project in honour of Australia's World War II servicemen and women captured Goulburn and Crookwell veterans recently.
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The Goulburn Soldiers and Crookwell Services clubs were the scene of the June 1 and May 25 photo shoot and small social gathering of old service friends.
'Reflections: Honouring Australia's World War II Veterans' will be a pictorial record for the Australian War Memorial (AWM), presented as a book.
The AWM has partnered with the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) and the Returned and Services League (RSL) for the project.
The aim of the project, which has been running for well over a year, is to photograph as many as possible of the nation's surviving 13,000 or so veterans.
Every veteran will receive a free portrait and profits from photograph sales will go to Legacy and the RSL Foundation.
AIPP member Mark Kelly from Mittagong has donated his time to photograph as many local veterans as possible.
The five local veterans included: Russell Bradley (RAR); Lance Cooke (RAAF); David Crooks (RAN); Gordon Muffett (RAR); and Albert Privett (RAAF).
Mr Cooke is the Goulburn RSL Sub-Branch vice president and said he had also heard about the project from the secretary of his squadron association.
"It just so happened I was in the Sub-Branch office having a bit of a chat and heard they were doing a book on all the WWII chaps they can get," he said.
On the day of the shoot, the Gunning man pinned his war medals to his good suit jacket, captured in one of three dignified portraits by Mr Kelly.
"I got a copy the other day. It looks all right," Mr Cooke said with a laugh, adding it would make a nice service memento for his son and daughter.
The photo shoot was also a chance for reflections with old friends. "Albert [Privett] and I were in the 45 Air Training Corp in 1941 and 1942," Mr Cooke said.
"There are not many of us left, unfortunately. [Former Post editor] Ray Leeson was another one, and Ray's gone. In a few years' time there'll be none of us left."
For enquiries about future photo shoots or the resulting book, go to aipp.com.au/reflections or call (03) 9888 4111.
