Newcastle lost one of its most celebrated soldiers today, with the news war veteran Kenneth McKenzie passed away aged 99.
The popular Waratah hero was one of the city’s World War II survivors.
Ken featured on the cover of Newcastle Weekly in April 2022, in which he encouraged the community to remember the sacrifices of our soldiers ahead of Anzac Day.
Ken’s stepson Gary Andrews said the vet’s passing was a loss that will be felt beyond this region.
“The world has lost a champion fella who was married to our mum for 27 years and a part of our lives for over 30 years. Ken had such a marvellous and positive attitude to life and he will be sorely missed and never forgotten,” he said.
“Fittingly Ken’s funeral will be in Newcastle on this coming Remembrance Day, the 11th day of the 11th month 2022.”
Like many young men growing up in NSW during the 1920s and 30s, Ken had lied about his age so he could serve in World War Two.
When the scout from the 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion was sent to Dutch New Guinea on his 20th birthday, 27th June 1942, he’d already served 755 days within the Australian Imperial Forces.
The young man from Kyogle, born the youngest of 16, served a total of 1597 days in the military, 775 of them in the mountainous marshes of New Guinea.
By the time he was discharged in June 1946, the tall, lanky lad who’d enlisted in Paddington, had witnessed first-hand the atrocities of war.
For more stories like this:
