JOHN Milbourne and Ken Manson have faces etched with memories.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Lines down the cheek, a furrowed brow, and eyes that have seen what the average person has not.
Mr Milbourne and Mr Manson are two of the 14,000 surviving World War II veterans in Australia today.
Yesterday the Launceston pair took part in a nationwide photographic project that aims to capture the essence of every living person who served in WWII.
The Australian Institute of Professional Photography and RSL project The Reflections: Honouring our World War II Veterans aims to provide a compelling pictorial record of returned servicemen and women living in Australia for the Australian War Memorial archives.
Launceston photographer Philip Kuruvita is one of several photographers across the nation who have been tasked with finding and snapping veterans for the project. He said a simple portrait could often convey powerful emotion.
‘‘You see a sense of strength in their faces, a sense of purpose,’’ Kuruvita said.
‘‘These guys were only teenagers when they enlisted.
‘‘So young, and they carry that with them all their lives.’’
Kuruvita said he was hoping to spread the message to other WWII veterans living in Northern Tasmania to put up their hand to be a part of the project.
Veterans are encouraged to register at www.aippveterans.com/veterans.