25/04/2025
"At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them"
"He proved heâs still a warrior, in action not afraid,
He faced the blasting red hot fire from mortar and gr***de."
Murrawarri man Harold West grew up with his best friend, George Leonard (Euahlayi Nation), on the border of New South Wales and Queensland. As children, they were taught to hunt, track, and live off the land.
As adults they worked as bushman trackers, station hands, ringbarkers and casual labourers. Their ability to move discreetly through the bush for long periods would prove indispensable when fighting the Japanese in the Second World War.
On 23 August 1941 West and Leonard enlisted and were posted to the 2/1st Battalion. In October 1942 Leonard was killed in action while serving along the Kokoda Trail. Stricken with grief, West sought revenge, using his unique set of skills to track the Japanese.
Leaving his unit behind, West filled his pockets with gr***des and rations before disappearing for days at a time to hunt Japanese machine-gun posts. He did this repeatedly for over a month, each time reporting that another Japanese machine-gun post had been taken out of action.
In Westâs native language Murrawarri means âto fall with a fighting club in oneâs handâ, and he did just that: on the battlefield defending his Country in November 1942. His bravery inspired many, including Sapper Bert Beros who wrote the iconic poem 'The Coloured Digger' based on West.
This year we invite everyone attending Anzac Day at the Memorial to hear Harold West's descendant, Lieutenant-Colonel Joe West, speak at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commemorative Service.
Join us for this moving service at 7.30am tomorrow at the 'For Our Country' memorial. Learn more: https://brnw.ch/21wSb7n