ALF Sutherland was passionate about the Kiewa RSL “right to the end”.
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The World War II Digger, who died last week, turned out yet again for the sub-branch’s Anzac Day service last month.
“He faced everything head on and tried to help everybody, to help his other colleagues,” president Terry Maher said yesterday.
“His main aim in the end — and it hasn’t happened yet — was trying to get a medal for the prisoners of war.”
Mr Maher said Mr Sutherland — “a really switched-on bloke, a really bright man” — did a lot for ex-POWs.
“He always used to say that he was the lucky one because he was a prisoner to the Germans and not to the Japs,” he said.
Mr Sutherland, who was 96 when he died at the Yamaroo Hostel in Yackandandah on May 19, spoke of his experiences at last year’s Tangambalanga march.
“I enjoy my freedom and I am glad I’ve known a backlog of fellow Australians who have done the same bloody thing,” he said.
Mr Sutherland managed to escape twice when he was a prisoner of war for four years in Germany, Italy and Czechoslovakia.
He watched the Tangambalanga Anzac Day commemorations from a seat in front of the type of Bofors anti-aircraft gun he fought with in Crete.
“Anzac Day is in respect to all those who have fought for Australia,” he said.
Mr Maher said Mr Sutherland, who served as president of the sub-branch for 18 years, used to do a lot of work “behind the scenes”.
“He was very passionate for his returned servicemen, for all his colleagues,” he said.
“He was out there trying to help them.”
Mr Maher said he always had a lot of time for Mr Sutherland.
“We ran a big raffle each year and his daughter, Kaye, donated the first prize,” he said.
“That was his baby and he used to sell nearly half the tickets”.
In addition to lobbying politicians for a POW service medal, Mr Sutherland spent time in recent years on a mission to honour more than 40 men from Staghorn Flat who enlisted for service in World War I.
That involved finalising a replica of the hamlet’s framed honour roll, which had almost rotted away through age and exposure to water.
Mr Maher said that, put simply, the RSL was Mr Sutherland’s life.
“He will be sadly missed by the Kiewa RSL because he was the Kiewa RSL.”
A funeral service for Mr Sutherland will be held at the Tangambalanga community hall in Kiewa East Road on Monday at 2pm.
A private cremation will follow.
