WWII veterans receive medal marking 75th anniversary war's end

Shepparton veteran Joe Clarke, 95, who served in the infantry for six years in Papua New Guinea, Borneo and Japan, was just one local hero to receive a medallion.

He can still remember the day the guns fell silent.

Or, in his case, the day they went off.

“I was at Tarakan in Borneo. All of a sudden, lots of shots and guns went off and we didn't know what was going on. There were a few Yanks there and boy, did they let it go,” he said.

“Then the orderly sergeant who was on duty came out and said, ‘The war's over'.

“It was a wonderful day.”

But Joe's service was far from over.

“I got a letter a few days later from my Mum saying, ‘It's lovely, you'll be coming home now’," he said.

“Little did she know, I'd volunteered for Japan, and it would still be two-and-a-half years before I came home.”

Mr Clarke said he "couldn't believe" it had been 75 years since the end of the war.

“Time gets away really well,” he said.

“But sadly with everything going on at the moment, we can't do much to commemorate it.”

Shepparton RSL president Bob Wilkie said 23 local World War II veterans would receive a medallion and certificate from the Federal Government in coming days.

“It's a recognition of their service,” he said.

“Their sacrifice means a lot. It was a long war, and people gave up so much.”