SEVENTY five years ago on Anzac Day, Bart Scrivener marched in the annual commemorative parade with his cadet chums from the local Coffs Harbour High School brigade.

And he has the photo to prove it – seen here.

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Letting his eye wander across the photo takes the Bowraville boy down memory lane, with crystal clear details of that Anzac Day in 1947.

“We marched from our school down by the Jetty to the old cenotaph,” Bart told News Of The Area
The straight route into town took the parade past Brelsford Park, as seen in the photo.

“You can see Brelsford Park in the background; there was one old house you can see in the centre of the photo and hardly any other buildings from the Jetty to ‘top town’ as we used to call it…but there was lots of lantana,” he laughed.

Seen leading the parade, in a suit, is Colonel Patterson.

“He was a Colonel in the army and had just come back from WWII and become a high school teacher at Coffs High School, and he also trained us in the cadets.”

In uniform at the front is Harvey Wilson, Captain of the Cadets, with Jim Wright, the 2IC of the platoon, seen third from the right in the photo.

Then come the flag and wreath bearers, followed by the platoon of cadets.

Bart is in the front row of marching cadets; as the leader he’s marching on the right hand side of his section.

“To get into that march you had to be spot on – there were plenty who didn’t make it.

“If you were good enough you got promoted up the ranks of the platoon.

“Behind the cadets were the general public, bringing up the parade to the service as the cenotaph.”

Thinking about his school cadet mates, Bart shared another old photo of the cadets, with Colonel Patterson seen front and centre.

Also in the front row are the fifth form Coffs Harbour High School lads, aged seventeen and eighteen, with the back row boys aged fourteen and fifteen in third year.

“That’s me in the centre of the back row, aged fourteen.”

There are a lot of surnames in that group which Coffs Harbour people would remember, said Bart.

“Dickie Pearce had the engineering business down by the Jetty.

“The Gerrards had the picture theatre at the Jetty.

“The Cunninghams had a shop selling plumbing gear, alongside the old police station site.

“And we’re all familiar with the name Hogbin and Tolhurst, and there’s Wilf Bailey and Noel Amos, all family names that have made their mark in Coffs Harbour,” said Bart.

By Andrea FERRARI