Story: John Edwards (1920 - 1991)

From , added to this site 1 Feb 2001

To The Memory of John Edwards

The congregation of White Hills Uniting Church mourn the passing of a very supportive and much loved member, John Edwards, on March 11th 1991.

John grew up in White Hills during the depression and attended our Sunday School (with all his brothers and sisters) walking a couple of miles each way.

John was a very generous person and up until the time of his illness made trailer-loads of toys to be distributed to many organisations throughout the Bendigo area.

John joined the Military Forces in World War II and went to the Middle East. Later he was sent to New Guinea where he was one of the twenty-two men of which Spr. Bert Beros, 2/6th Field Company, wrote The Lost Patrol. The following is an extract from that poem.

A lost patrol of Australia's sons
Of a battle scarred brigade,
That gallant band the Rande defied -
What an effort they made.

Twenty-two men for twenty-two days,
No rations or cover at night,
In torrential rain in the jungle green,
Cut off from the rest in fight.

For twenty-two days in the jungle hell
Where moss it deadens the tread,
The twenty-two men came out of it
Like corpses back from the dead;

May not get honours on their chest
Or letters after their name,
Yet they'll be remembered in the hearts of us
As men who tested the flame.

The funeral service in the White Hills Uniting Church on Wednesday at 2.30pm was conducted by Rev. Gai McKay and the attendance of over 200, which filled the church and the Sunday School, showed the love and respect and high esteem that John held.

Sincere sympathy is extended to his wife Peg and family John, Barry and Russell and their families, and to all the Edwards family.

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