A Trevallyn woman will donate her late uncle's war medals to the Launceston RSL this week, saying she wants him to always be a part of the community he was raised in.
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Diane Fowler's uncle Keith Raymond Brown, of the 2/12th Battalion, died while serving his country in New Guinea in 1942, during the Second World War.
Brown, a lieutenant, was one of the famed Rats of Tobruk, who defended the Libyan port city of Tobruk against the Germans in 1941.
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He was honoured with a number of war medals, denoting his service, including the 1939-1945 Star, the Africa Star, the Pacific Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal 1939-1945 and the Australian Service Medal 1939-1945.
Ms Fowler said her uncle, who was born in Scottsdale but raised in Launceston, had enlisted in October 1939 and was known as a "gregarious" man with a love of sport.
After she saw a program on TV in which a family lost track of the war medals they had inherited, Ms Fowler realised she didn't want the same thing to happen to her.
"I discussed it with my cousins and we decided [donating the medals] was the way to go so that [my uncle's] memory would be preserved," she said. "I just think these [medals] are too important to be lost."
"I just feel that [the RSL is] the best place for them to go and where he can be part of the community that he grew up in.
"Evidently, there are very few copies of the Rats of Tobruk medals that have been handed in to a museum - so they're quite rare."
In Ms Fowler's family, the tradition of serving one's country continues today, with three of her children having served in the armed forces and two of her grandchildren currently serving.
"We're lucky we live in a free country," she said. "But it didn't come free - it didn't come without cost."
Veterans Affairs Minister Guy Barnett said Remembrance Day was a day to recognise those who had made the "ultimate sacrifice".
"We want to express our thanks and our gratitude, to pay honour to our servicemen and servicewomen, who've done the hard yards for us and for our sake so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today," he said.
"If you know a veteran, please seek them out ... and say thank you for your service."
The Launceston Remembrance Day service will be held from 10.40am at the Launceston Cenotaph.