HE was out of the Royal Australian Navy nearly 70 years, but such is the admiration and respect for John Woods within the Australian Defence Force that current serving members were visibly moved when they attended a memorial service for him on Friday.
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Mr Woods died on August 21, just 11 days shy of his 93rd birthday.
That he lived that long was a miracle – he was on HMAS Perth when the light cruiser was sunk by the Japanese in 1942.
Of the ship’s crew of 681, 353 were killed in battle.
Then he was a prisoner of war for three and a half years, surviving the infamous Changi prison and then the Burma-Thai railway.
Reading out Mr Woods’s service record, good friend Chief Petty Officer Tom Reader described him as an extraordinary man.
“You were blessed to have this man as your father,” Chief Petty Officer Reader said to Mrs Woods’s family.
A tribute to Mr Woods’s 56 years of service to Legacy was delivered by president of Wagga Legacy, David Scoble.
One of Mr Woods’s granddaughters, Carly McIver, spoke of her Pa’s pride, determination, laughter, incessant humming, singing and woodworking skills.
“But most of all we will remember the unconditional love he had for all of us. He will live on in our hearts and minds forever,” she said.
