Chris Colvin

I'm originally from the Central Coast, Newcastle, Hunter Valley district and I followed the grandkids out here seven-and-a-half years ago.

I didn’t go to Vietnam, but I was an artilleryman in the 1st Regiment 105th battery in Queensland. We were getting ready to go and had a change of government at the time and that stopped everything. So, I did 18 months National Service and then I was 12 months in the CMF, which is now the army reserve

I joined the RSL 15 years ago as, to me, it is important honouring those who served their country in whatever form.

My grandfather served in the First World War and I had a great cousin who also served. He was a known person here in Orange, Arthur Edmund Colvin, he was mayor for a while.

Remembrance Day is important, because if you don't know where you came from, you don't know where you are going — that's my philosophy in life. You have to look back and see where you came from and then you can — hopefully — not make the same mistakes.

Remembrance Day services have been going for 100 years and we have to keep it going. If we don't, we've lost our history and, as I said, history is important. It is also about honouring those who went before us.”