By Cam Lucadou-Wells
The Victoria Cross family is an exclusive club.
There are just four surviving Australian recipients of perhaps the world’s highest award for valour.
One of them is the charismatic Keith Payne VC, who headed a roll-call of notables at a sell-out launch of the book The Victoria Cross: Australia Remembers at Bunjil Place on 21 April.
The 420-page richly-illustrated volume honours the 100 Australian awardees, the medal and also the men’s families.
It involved travelling the world to gravesites and a hyper-secure vault containing the VC’s originating bronze lump.
The author Michael Madden of Berwick even gained rare access to the diaries of the medal’s instigator Queen Victoria.
For many of the families, the book was the first time their heroes have been described in their own words. These lofty heroes have never seemed more human.
“They are put in a situation, they had to make a decision and they act,” Mr Madden told the 800-plus audience at Bunjil’s theatre.
“Keith Payne had a long career. In some ways, he’s just a veteran, just a man like any other.
“But what he did (to earn the VC) wasn’t normal.”
As a wounded commanding officer, Mr Payne covered for his troops’ withdrawal from a heavy North Vietnamese attack during the Vietnam War in May 1969.
For three hours, he searched for injured soldiers while under fire. He found 40 of them and led them to safety through enemy territory.
“I was the company commander and it was my responsibility to look after my soldiers,” the 84-year-old told the 800-strong gathering at Bunjil.
“I wasn’t going to ask someone else to do a job I wasn’t going to do myself.”
Like many veterans, he suffered post-traumatic stress after his military service.
But as his spirits started to rise, he made himself a pledge: “If I’m going to live, I’m going to live a happy life.”
He added that one enduring problem he had were some marks that scarred his face.
“That’s only because the girls don’t kiss me – they bite me.”
Mr Payne was joined on stage by Doug Baird, the father of the late Cameron Baird VC.
He was awarded Australia’s most recent VC for his “ultimate self-sacrifice” leading multiple charges under fire as a Commando Team Commander in deep enemy territory in Afghanistan in 2013.
Cameron was killed in the endeavour, which repeatedly neutralised enemy threats and helped preserve the lives of his team members.
His parents help run a not-for-profit charity Cam’s Cause in his memory.
It has raised more than $35,000 for the welfare of Australia’s returned Commandos.
“By doing that, it allows us to carry on what we believe Cam would be doing,” Mr Baird said.
After the launch, Mr Payne, Mr Baird and Mr Madden shook hands with long lines of admirers as they signed copies of the book.
Others took the chance to handle the late Reg Rattey’s Victoria Cross, observing its unique name and date inscriptions on the back. Such medals are estimated to be worth up to $1.5 million.
It was all academic to son Rob Rattey; the medal will be never going up for sale, he told the audience.
About 130 members of VC families gathered for the launch – what is believed to be some sort of record.
One of them was 97-year-old Daphne Dunne, the widow of Albert Chowne VC, who travelled from Sydney for the event.
Another was Faye Axford, of Endeavour Hills, is a great-niece of Thomas ‘Jack’ Axford VC as well as a great-niece by marriage to the highly-decorated Albert Jacka VC.
She described the event as one that would go down in history.
“It will never be forgotten. We’ll never get something like this again.”
Mr Jacka’s great-nephew David Streatfeild, of Greensborough, was interviewed for the book.
Some inaccurate accounts had been given about his illustrious ancestor’s life. It was a chance to put the record straight on the man, Mr Streatfield said.
All of the book’s proceeds will go to the critical service The Totally and Permanently Disabled Soldiers Association of Victoria.
Copies of the book are available at https://www.tpivic.com/products/our-merchandise
