Lieutenant William ‘Bill’ Morris, a WWII veteran and one of only a few surviving “Island Hoppers”, is not in the greatest of health.
He had only one item on his bucket list: to attend one more ANZAC Day service.
Unfortunately, the 96-year-old has blood cancer and he was too frail to go to a service. Instead, Mercy Place Montrose’s remarkable staff brought the service to Bill.
The staff contacted the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, who flew Major Gary Bergman from Canberra to represent the Australian Defence Force at the Mercy Place Montrose ANZAC Day service, along with about 100 residents, family members, RSL representatives and veterans.
Bill is one of the last remaining “Island Hoppers” — a dogged team from the Australian Army who skipped over Japanese strongholds to seize less fortified islands during the Allied advance across the Pacific during World War II.
Great then to see staff do what they can to make Bill’s wish come true.
