Narre Warren resident Ruth Scott has a strong connection to Anzac Day.
By Callan Date
ANZAC Day finds a special place in the heart of most Australians, and for Ruth Scott it is no different.
The Narre Warren resident attended the moving Dawn Service in Melbourne for the first time yesterday to pay her respects to her World War II veteran father and all the other men and women who have served with the Australian Defence Force.
Private Len Stott was enlisted in the Australian Army Service Corps 9th Division and fought bravely for his country throughout the Middle East and Pacific area.
Before Mr Stott enlisted he was playing in the Victorian Football League for Fitzroy and had represented Victoria.
But the onset of war couldn’t stop Mr Stott and his love for the game, and he was soon organising football matches between soldiers in the Middle East. Ms Scott said her father told her about a game of football that was played amid the backdrop of bombs and mortar fire.
“When he returned from the war he would tell us kids about the times he practised footy at the base of the great pyramids of Egypt,” she said.
“Anzac Day does mean a lot to me. Ever since I was a small child we used to line up and cheer on the diggers on Anzac Day.”
The Kambrya College teacher has also had the privilege of going to Gallipoli and seeing the sacrifices made by the brave soldiers during World War I.
“It was very interesting – interesting to see the Turkish sides of things as well as the Australian side,” Ms Scott said.
“I felt for them as much as for our own young men and their families.”
The Scott family has also paid tribute to the Anzacs in the form of their beloved Jack Russell.
“Our dog is named Anzac – he is a little digger and we got him on Anzac Day,” Ms Scott said.
