War medal back home where it belongs

A WORLD War I medal is finally back home on the Mid North Coast, following a series of remarkable and unlikely events.

The story began ahead of Anzac Day when Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh’s “The Spirit of Anzac” booklet landed in Coffs Coast letterboxes.

This year’s cover depicted France’s VC Corner Memorial and among the names chiselled in stone was J. Rowe.

That name immediately resonated with Coffs Harbour’s Bob Wilson – five years ago, he’d found a medal belonging to a Private John Rowe protruding from freshly laid mulch in his front garden.

Mr Wilson’s search for John Rowe’s living descendants had been unsuccessful – until The Spirit of Anzac arrived.

He then sought Mr Singh’s help to find the family of the Kempsey Digger, who was wounded on the Western Front in 1918 and who died from his injuries shortly after.

Mr Singh’s Facebook video pleading for the public’s help captured the imagination of the community, including the local NBN News team who tracked down John Rowe’s great niece, Sharon Goodwin, in Kempsey.

On Monday morning 11 May, Ms Goodwin drove to Mr Singh’s Coffs Harbour office to meet Mr Wilson, who presented her with the medal.

“It was an emotional and heartfelt moment all round,” said Mr Singh, who dialled in to the ceremony from NSW Parliament.

“I’ve loved being part of this good news story and it’s an experience I will always cherish.

“It was so gratifying to see the medal back home where it belongs and to see how much it meant to Bob and Sharon.

“John Rowe fought and died for his country. Lest we forget.”

Mr Wilson said it was “beautiful” that the medal he’d stumbled upon five years ago and kept safe all this time was now in its rightful place.

“I’m very happy it’s back home. It’s serendipity,” Mr Wilson said.

“I spoke to the right person in Gurmesh Singh in getting things moving in the right direction.”

Ms Goodwin said she’d been in “total shock” when she was told last week the medal had been found.

“To have it turn up out of the blue is incredible. I’m very excited, I’m thrilled, absolutely beside myself,” she said.