Korean Veterans’ Day

Join us to commemorate

Malanda RSL remembers Korean Veterans and Australian Women's Land Army

This Sunday, the Malanda RSL Sub Branch will hold a service to commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice on 27 July 1953, which brought an end to three years of fighting on the Korean Peninsula.

The sub-branch will also be commemorating the formation of the Australian Women's Land Army (AWLA).

To mark both occasions, the Malanda RSL sub-branch will hold a service at its Sub-Branch Hall in Elizabeth Street from 10.30am to 11.15am.

Members of the public are invited to join relatives of Korean veterans and members of the Land Army in remembering those who served and those who died.

The Korean War began on 25 June 1950, and 21 nations committed troops, aircraft, ships and medical units to the defence of South Korea after the invasion by North Korea.

More than 18,000 Australians served during the Korean War and post-armistice ceasefire monitoring. Of those, 340 lost their lives, more than 1,200 were wounded, and 30 were taken prisoner.

The AWLA was developed to meet the labour shortages in the rural sector during WWII, and had a huge presence on the Tablelands.

Membership peaked at 3,421 women, who worked an average of 48 hours a week. In January 1943, Federal Cabinet endorsed the AWLA as an official "fourth service", but this was never formally enacted before the end of the war. The organisation was disbanded on 31 December 1945.

Organisers said that after Sunday's ceremony, everyone was welcome to stay for a Sausage Sizzle, Refreshments and Camaraderie.