With ANZAC Day approaching, we will recognise and honour some of our Old Boys who served (fallen and returned) so we can enjoy the freedoms we do. All 116 fallen Old Boys and 3 fallen Staff are recorded in The Field of Honour, a book authored by James Mason OAM (past Staff) which was commissioned by the school. Copies of this book are available for purchase online or at the Churchie Shop.

Old Boy Ivan Seddon (1933) was born in Ipswich, Queensland on 3 October 1916. He attended Milton State School before moving to Churchie in 1930 to join his older brother Arthur Seddon (1932). He left at the end of Junior in 1931, having also learnt classical music and to play the organ in the Chapel for which he was forever grateful. Following a career as a Finance Clerk, on 19 July 1940 he enlisted with the Royal Australian Air Force.

On the night after the D-Day landings on 7/8 June 1944, he was shot down near Versailles in his Halifax bomber and managed to be hidden by the French Resistance for 3 months in various hiding places. After the Liberation of Paris in August 1944, he safely returned to England on 1 September 1944. He then flew Lancaster bombers for another 20 sorties.

Ivan died in Brisbane on 23 April 1999.

Playing the organ at home, at church services, weddings, wedding receptions, lodge meetings and even the Channel 9 telethons calmed his nerves. He was very proud and humbled by his Life Membership of the RSL and his membership of the esteemed Caterpillar Club and the Escaping Society. His caterpillar had red eyes as his Halifax bomber was on fire when he jumped from the burning plane.

Ivan marched every year in Brisbane’s ANZAC Day Parade until 1983 when it became too much for him. Whilst devastated, he was impressed and delighted to learn that his grandson Andrew (then aged four years) had marched for him that year in Bowen with his mother’s (Ivan’s daughter) School Recorder Band. His legacy has continued with Andrew joining the Army Reserve when at university and his great-granddaughters (Andrew’s daughters) now both in the Army Cadets.

Margaret Cooper-Smith (Ivan’s daughter) recalls: “Dad was very humble and didn't say much. I learnt so much about Dad's wartime experiences from Didier, a French guy who was researching all the planes which were shot down in his area. Didier had managed to find a diary written by Dad’s Canadian navigator, Bill Leishman. From Bill's descriptions, Didier was able to pinpoint these hiding places and later found Dad’s name in the Brisbane phone book and rang Mum, as Dad had died a few months earlier. I met Didier and Yvonne (the last lady who helped to keep Dad hidden in Paris) when I flew to Europe in 2000. I flew back to Paris in 2001 as I had asked Yvonne where she had hidden Dad and she replied to come back and she would show me. Dad had written to Yvonne every year after he returned from the war. He was very proud of his authentic French Identity card made by Yvonne, which he carried in his wallet every day of his life. In the 2001 June holidays Didier showed Yvonne, my Mum, my sister Ruth and me, all the hiding places. I also met the granddaughter of the first lady that helped Dad.”