Joan's special Anzac tribute

Their father, Lawrence Henry Cooper Riggs, is a true Anzac, as he served in World War I.

In this era it is rare to find living children of Anzac veterans.

Joan, 93 and Milton, 89, are proud of what their father did for this great country. Joan is a twin and their sister was the late Patricia Riggs, former editor of The Macleay Argus.

Joan will give the Anzac Day commemorative speech at her hometown of Crescent Head tomorrow.

She will take pride speaking about her father and plans to use parts of letters Lawrence wrote to his sweetheart and future wife, Gladys Phelps.

This will give people an insight into what it was like to be an Anzac veteran.

Below is a passage from one such letter:

“Gladys, they are real brave men, and if you see articles in the papers, as I have done, of large numbers of Turks running from one or two of our men, don’t believe it. They are lies.

“One Turk is equal to one Australian any day. They are twice the size of us, big 13 and 14 stone men, and for one man to toss one over his shoulder on a bayonet, it is laughable.

“They publish an awful lot of lies about the poor Turk, but they have done braver things than any Englishman here, and I cannot but admire them, I am forced to.”

Joan has a large collection of Anzac day memorabilia, which was handed down to her. She has also done a lot of research over the years and found out interesting facts about her father.

Corporal Riggs married his sweetheart and moved to Kempsey in 1937 and lived out his life in the Macleay.

In 1943 he wrote an article for The Argus headlined ‘Anzac Day Observance’. 

Below is an extract from the article:

“…On Sunday, April 25, 1943, 29 years later, we will assemble at the Monument, East Kempsey, to honour our fallen heroes. Among the throng will be many Diggers with pride in their hearts in the knowledge that their sons have caught the torch and will carry it to victory.”