By REBECCA BILLS
HE WAS one of the last World War II volunteers and a man who devoted an enormous amount of time in helping others.
At 91 years of age, ex-Mount Evelyn resident Lenoard Polkinghorne and OAM recipient passed away peacefully on Sunday 29 June in Wantirna.
Mr Polkinghorne was born on 6 May 1923 at Woods Point, Victoria.
His father was a miner but when the gold ran out the family left Woods Point and lived a fairly nomadic existence as his father pursued work.
It was in 1927 that the family settled in Mount Evelyn with his father obtaining a job at Silvan Dam while Mr Polkinghorne and his siblings attended the Mount Evelyn State School.
Mount Evelyn RSL secretary and historian Anthony McAleer said Mr Polkinghorne’s father started the first school band and paid for the instruments with money he made from building a tennis court with a pick and shovel for local businessmen.
“Len himself remembers marching up and down Bailey Road in bare feet practising with the band,” he said.
During World War II, Mr Polkinghorne enlisted in the army and was allotted to the Second 17th Anti-Aircraft Battery in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, and was among the soldiers responsible for protecting the area from enemy aircraft.
“He was lucky in a way because many of those who enlisted around the same time ended up as prisoners of war to the Japanese,” Mr McAleer said.
“In fact at one time Len tried to transfer to his cousin’s unit but was unsuccessful and in the end talked his cousin into coming into his section – the unit he tried to go to was eventually sent to Malaya and were nearly all captured.
“In 1942 he witnesses the ship the Mac Dui being sunk by the Japanese bombers in the harbour and would later go on to see action in Milne Bay, Buna and some of the islands in the Pacific.”
Mr McAleer said Mr Polkinghorne’s name appears on the Mount Evelyn Honour Board, the Shire of LIllydale World War II Honour Board and was one of the last Mount Evelyn World War II volunteers.
“In the years after the war Len found it difficult to adjust to civilian life and suffered both physically and mentally,” he said.
Mr Polkinghorne told the Mail in 2012 that he and his family re-located to Ringwood when he returned from war to find work and he found himself heavily involved in the Ringwood RSL.
It was there he held many positions within the organisation including vice-president, welfare officer and poppy seller before he retired at the age of 89.
“You enjoy all of those things because you feel as if you’re doing something for your old mates that didn’t come back,” Mr Polkinghorne said.
“I was hoping to be able to work for the RSL and be the last bloke from the Second World War still doing something for the RSL but I thought it would be better if I spent more time with my kids and grandkids.”
Mr Polkinghorne was a life member of the League of Australia, became a life member of the RSL in 2001, was inducted into the RSL Hall of Fame in 2007 and became an OAM recipient in 2008.
He was survived by his wife Thelma, children Lynette, Helen, Bill, Noel, Doug, Rod and Greg as well as his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
A service to celebrate the life of Mr Polkinghorne was held on Friday 4 July at William Matthews Funeral Home, Lilydale.
