OUR HEROES – THEIR STORIES

Like so many youngsters of his era NX126043 Kenneth “Smiler” Walters well remembers the tough times for his family during the Great Depression. Ken was born in Sydney in June 1919 during the Spanish flu outbreak, a time of great distress, but greater hardship was to follow when Depression gripped the world.

Due to financial hardship, Ken, his older brother, Harry, and mother, Amelia, moved around, often, trying to make ends meet.

They spent many years in country Griffith, where his mother was a bush nurse. The family finally moved back to Fairlight in Sydney. Ken began his working life in the Manly store of the big grocery chain Moran and Catos.

He impressed with his diligence and dedication because he returned to the same job after the war. Ken enlisted for Army service in January, 1940, just three months after Britain, and Australia declared war on Germany.

He was called up for duty in June, 1942, and served with the 2/33rd Battalion in New Guinea and Borneo, initially at Port Moresby then in the Lae, Markham Valley, Ramu Valley and Shaggy Ridge campaigns, followed by service at Balikpapan.

Ken was in the Third Mortar Platoon. Handling and fi ring the mortar shells was highly dangerous.

The mortars were referred to by some as the “Dropshorts” as faulty fuses could cause shells to fall short of their targets, sometimes on their own troops. As the munitions handler, part of Ken’s responsibility was to inspect the shells before handing it on to be fi red. Without doubt, his care and attention to detail on one occasion saved his life and that of two of his mates. He clearly remembers the day he noticed a crack in a shell. Any attempt to fi re it would probably have caused it to explode in the barrel killing at least the three of them in the mortar pit.

It was in this platoon that Ken formed life-long friendships with Fred Weekes, George Jones and Bruce Stevens.

Ken never forgot the horror of the Liberator disaster at Port Moresby on June 7, 1943, and still thinks himself lucky to have escaped unharmed when so many mates were injured and killed before they had even entered the fighting.

The D Company trucks that suffered the main impact of the explosion were in the first wave in the staging area. The trucks with Ken’s company were in the second stage. He still remembers the disaster with great emotion.

Despite this and the horrors of war, and associated illnesses, Ken was always cheerful and cheeky, a bit of a larrikin. in Glenfield, Sydney, that Ken It was at training camp first got his nickname “Smiler”. Sitting in a lecture, distracted as usual, Ken was caught out laughing at a mate’s joke. The lieutenant giving the lecture addressed him directly “Now Smiler, what were we talking about” The name stuck and from then on he was “Smiler Walters” to his mates.

Ken was on leave in 1944 when he met his wife-to-be, Joan Muriel Meads at a Brisbane Army dance. Joan was also in the Army doing clerical duties and serving as a PT instructor and switchboard operator. They were married in 1946 , the year of Ken’s discharge.

Because Ken’s mother had died while he was away, he and Joan went to live in their house at Fairlight. They had two daughters, Kaye in 1947 and Debbie in 1956.

After rejoining Moran and Catos in Manly Ken worked his way up to manager. He later worked on the trams as a conductor, the buses as a driver and at QANTAS in Sydney in the stationery department where he worked until he retired.

Ken kept in touch with his 2/33rd Battalion mates. He was a regular at Gosford reunion dinners and marching in the Anzac Day parade, sometimes with his grandson, Chris.

His army mates, Georgie, Bruce and Fred and their wives remained great friends of Ken and Joan. They met regularly for lunch or coffee. Fred was his best friend for life and was Godfather to Ken’s youngest daughter as well as a granddaughter. Ken and Joan also became involved in various aspects of their local RSL and through this more friendships were formed. Joan was ultimately awarded life membership of the RSL.

When not working, Ken spent time caring for his family including Joan’s parents and two aunts, renovating their house and pottering in his shed with his collection of odds and ends. He was a bit of a hoarder. He travelled in Australia with family and overseas with Joan. He also loved cooking and playing family card games, particularly patience which he plays every afternoon.

They stayed in the house in Fairlight for 62 years before moving to the Anzac RSL Village in Narrabeen in 2008. They lived there for a further 10 years, enjoying a more leisurely pace of life and a view of the bush and lake. In 2018 they moved into Gracewood Community, Kellyville, so they could receive higher care and be nearer to Kaye, Debbie and their families.

After 75 years of marriage, Joan died in 2021 and Ken, although missing his life partner, is still going well health-wise at 103. He is one of the few who can lay claim to surviving the Spanish Flu pandemic and the Covid-19 pandemic 100 years later.

Ken has his ups and downs with his hearing and memory, but really enjoys visits from family and bingo, especially when he wins. He now has four grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and three great, great grandchildren. His daughter, Debbie, said: “These days Ken’s short-term memory is failing but he still remembers his war years with mixed emotions. Like many of his mates, Ken suffers what we now call PTSD. War leaves scars both visible and invisible but this time many years ago has helped to make him the person he is today. He’s still a lovable larrikin!