The rising sun is the symbol of the nation’s military forces during World War One.

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A brass badge signifying the Royal Australian Air Force was also stolen.

We can now report that, thanks to the efforts of the Nambucca Heads Men’s Shed and an anonymous donor, the stolen and damaged items have been remanufactured and replaced.

The cost to replace the items was $1,200.

This was met by an anonymous donor who passed the cash to the Nambucca Heads RSL sub-Branch with a note saying that they did not wish to be named.

This amazing act of community-minded generosity enabled the sub-Branch to enlist the support of the Phoenix Foundry at Uralla to manufacture replacement items.

The next hurdle was to find a method of affixing the badges to the brick wall in a manner that would make it much harder for vandals to strike again.

“We knew that we had members with the appropriate skill sets and we saw this as one community organisation helping another, so we offered our services to the RSL sub-Branch to help them rectify the damage done by the vandals,” Nambucca Heads Men’s Shed President John Kent OAM told NOTA.

Nambucca Heads RSL sub-Branch Vice President Mr Chris Ellicott added, “As you can imagine, members of the veterans community, and the broader community, were outraged by the damage done by these thoughtless people.

“What the Men’s Shed had done here, and also the anonymous donor of the money, shows that we do live in a community where we roll up our sleeves and help our mates.

“That means a lot, especially to the veterans community.”

By Mick BIRTLES