Anzac Day is a time for all those who ever wore a uniform to join together and remember.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And among them is Caroline Ogilvie.
For six years between 1964 and 1970 ex-Petty Officer Ogilvie was a member of the Womans Royals Australian Naval Service.
Read more:
She joined aged 19, following in an older sister’s footsteps, and looking for a different path in life.
She found she loved the life in the service.
“You’re part of the whole. You’re part of something that, as I say, it’s a different life. You share a lot of your life with a lot of other people,” Ogilvie said.
As a member of the woman’s service, Ogilvie was not able to be sent overseas.
She did however love the exciting time it offered, and the strong community within the WRANS. One of her highlights was her role as a ceremonial driver for an Admiral.
“It was an amazing life, anyway. It was a life unto itself, it had its own rules, regulations, language, everything. It was a life apart,” Ogilvie said.
“I was proud to be in the service. I was proud to wear the uniform, and I’d love to have gone overseas, but it wasn’t something you did.
“But we travelled around, met a lot of wonderful people, and enjoyed it thoroughly.”
For Ogilvie, Anzac Day is a time to remember all those who have worn a uniform, and especially those who died in it. It was 50 years ago for her, but the time means nothing.
“There’s a lot of people have lost their lives for this country, and they need to be remembered,” she said.
“It’s remembering them, it’s not glorifying war, it’s just remembering those we lost, and we lost a lot. “