Narooma RSL sub branch member and Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) welfare officer, Ian Noormets-Booth is on a mission to raise enough funds to put a memorial on the grave site of Narooma WWII veteran Allan Forster.
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Mr Forster a 'Rat of Tobruk' passed away, aged 100 on March 15, 2020 and since then Mr Noormets has been campaigning to raise the funds for a grave site memorial.
"Mr Forster was a humble and exceptional individual who the community considers to be one of Australia's national treasures as a member of the heroic generation of WWII.
"Not only did he face danger from fighting on the other side of the world against the Germans and their allies, he and many other young men hurriedly returned to Australia to back up against the Japanese in the Pacific Islands."
Mr Noomets said he didn't think Mr Forster's small veterans estate should pay for his own memorial and set about reviewing RSL policies looking for finance or grants to fund the memorial, all without success.
He also wrote to the Chief of Australian Defence Forces, the secretary of the DVA and also to the local member, all to no avail.
"I received responses to all my requests, they were sympathetic and supported my crusade, but unfortunately no funds could be legally granted for this project and the reason given, was that Mr Forster never died of a war related injury and I wasn't going to accept that," Mr Noormets said.
Now Mr Noormets has set up a gofundme page trying to raise $7,000 for the memorial with $1450 already donated.
Mr Noormets also said that after the Anzac services on Anzac Day he would be out and about around town with his plastic bucket asking for donations towards Mr Forster's memorial.
"All the donations I collect on Anzac Day will be added to the gofundme site and listed as donated by the 'People of Narooma' with all excess funds being distributed to the Returned Services League Australia," he said.
If you would like to make a donation towards a memorial for Narooma's 'Rat of Tobruk', Allan Ward Forster visit the gofundme page for Grave Side Memorial 'Rat of Tobruk'.
Allan Ward Forster was born in Richmond, Victoria on December 13, 1919 and enlisted in July 1940. He departed for the Middle East with the 9th Division on December 31, 1940 where he fought at Tobruk and Alamein before returning with the 9th Division to New Guinea and the Lae landing.
