A young boy from Southern River carried a very special piece of family and national history in this year’s ANZAC remembrance march.
Ten-year-old Luke Surtees, a pupil of St Munchin’s Catholic Junior School, proudly marched carrying the Gallipoli 1915 Commemorative Medallion awarded to his great-grandfather, Albert Surtees.
Albert Surtees was born in Ballarat, Victoria in 1890 and enlisted into the 8th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Expeditionary Force on 18 August 1914, aged just 23.
After training in Egypt, he served in the historic Gallipoli campaign of 1915 and later continued his service on the battlefields of Belgium.
He was discharged as an ER Corporal in January 1919, having served an extraordinary 1651 days; 1529 of those overseas.
The Gallipoli Commemorative Medallion, which Luke carried during the march, honours the service and sacrifice of those who fought at Gallipoli.
Photos shared by the family show Albert Surtees in uniform in 1914, along with the medallion that has been carefully preserved over generations.
Luke’s participation in the remembrance march was a moving tribute to his great-grandfather’s service and a reminder that the spirit of ANZAC endures through young Australians today.
Luke’s older brother, Matthew, also shares the family’s pride in their history.
Through simple but powerful gestures like Luke’s, the legacy of the ANZACs continues to inspire new generations to remember, reflect, and honour the sacrifices made more than a century ago.
