Roland Renison

This is Bill's story about VX123013 Roland Gilbert Renison.

“In 1990, what’s that about 22 years? It was well before Dad’s death’

So went the reply from Trevor when I asked him when he had last seen his father’s war medals.

It was not till after his father’s funeral, that Trevor discovered his father’s home had, as he put it, been ‘ratted’. Countless items, including his late mother’s jewellery, his father’s watch and medals had been taken.

His surprise when I contacted him in November was total. He admitted given up any hope of seeing the medals again.

The search for Trevor was complicated. In part because Trevor’s mother, while buried under her given names, had always preferred to be known as Joanne. This only became apparent when I found out that she had been buried in the same plot as Ronald.

With a death notice, and the help of the Australian Surname Group and research that came up with a whole series of odd facts including one that Trevor may have been a builder, that took me to the HIA.

It was less than 15 minutes after I hung up from talking to a very helpful young lady that Trevor was on the phone to me and hence the introduction to this story.

I cannot conclude without mentioning Shirley and Allen. They had been passed the medals many years ago, had spent countless hours trying to locate Ronald or his family and who were willing to entrust me with returning them.

The returned medal tally is now 1598.