By PETER DOUGLAS
EVEN today, Anni Atkinson still finds it difficult to grasp the hardships her Steels Creek-born father endured during the World War I.
As she reflected on her family’s history in wartime Australia, and their many courageous acts of bravery, Ms Atkinson said it must have taken a great deal of courage to survive such ideals.
And she is enormously proud of her family.
Ms Atkinson is the daughter of Reginald Albert Hubbard, who was born on 8 July, 1895 in Steels Creek, and was one of 15 children.
Of the Hubbard family of Steels Creek, five members served in World War I, with only three returning home.
“Dad was 19 when he and his brother, Ben, enlisted at Meeniyan in Gipplsand on 4 January, 1915,” Ms Atkinson said.
“They rode their horses from Gippsland up to Broadmeadows, where they did their initial training.
“It would have been interesting to hear what these two young men from the bush talked about.”
The brothers headed off with the 13th Light Horse Brigade for training in Cairo on 28 May, 1915.
“They trained in 130-degree heat and freezing cold at night, living on a diet of Bully beef and biscuits,” she said.
“There were water shortages, harsh terrain and the constant sand which would often refill their trenches.”
Reginald later found himself with the 1st Signals Squadron, Anzac Mounted Division, still located in the Middle East.
His role in the signal corps was to be placed between the Australian and enemy lines, signalling enemy troop movements.
“At Jaffa, both he and a fellow soldier were wounded,” she said.
“My dad managed to get himself and his mate back to Australian lines.
“For this, he was awarded the Military Medal.”
According to Ms Atkinson, Reginald never mentioned this feat, but it later came to light.
“My eldest brother, Rex, and he visited to the Australian War Memorial, where dad recognised Jaffa in a diorama, telling Rex that’s where I was awarded my MM,” she said.
Among his later exploits, Reginald flew a BE 2e biplane in the desert, also instructing pilots how to navigate desert conditions.
Reginald returned to Australia on 12 July, 1919.
However, the family connection to wartime persisted, with family members serving in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
Ms Atkinson said that as a member of the Hubbard family from the Steels Creek and Yarra Glen region, she feels a great debt of gratitude.
“Dad rarely spoke of the war and growing up,” she said.
“I was not aware of his service, apart from his fondness for horses and the sorrow he felt at leaving them behind in the Middle East.”
Ms Atkinson said it was important such stories lived on for the next generation.
“Let us make sure we never forget to thank all the young men and women who laid their lives on the line,” she said.
“That we are a free and diverse nation, able to celebrate another Anzac Day.”
