Taree RSL Sub-branch president Charlie Fisher remains perplexed as to why the Korean War garnered the moniker 'the forgotten war'.
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"How you forget a war I'll never know," Mr Fisher said in an address at a club on the NSW Mid North Coast on Korea Day, commemorated on Monday.
"There were many deaths during this war and many servicemen paid the supreme sacrifice," Mr Fisher said.
Traditionally held outside the club, wet weather forced the sub-branch to move the service indoors. Attendance for the ceremony was also capped due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Special guests included MidCoast Council deputy mayor Claire Pontin, Manning Great Lakes Police District Chief iIspector Christine George, St Clare's High School principal Peter Nicholls, members of the Sydney Cheil (Korean) Church and Forster Korean Veterans Association.
Marking the 67th anniversary of the Armistice, sub-branch vice president Darcy Elbourne said the sub-branch was proud to recognise those who fought in the war.
"We're letting their families know that we will not forget," Mr Elbourne said.
Dr Eojin Lee, Hyunwoo KIm and Seongja Crowe maintained the long tradition of Cheil Church representation at the ceremony.
"The relationship between Australia and Korea was established in times of hardship more than anything else," Dr Lee said.
"The freedom enjoyed by South Koreans across the world would be impossible without the sacrifice made in times of profound hardship.
"Today we remember with heavy hearts the many who did not return and many who returned scarred by their service in Korea."
Cr Pontin revealed her grandfather was an armed officer in the British army during World War I and II while her son has pursued a career in the Royal Australian Navy.
"The Anzac tradition is strong in Australia and it's especially important that we remember the fallen and acknowledge their contributions to this great land," Cr Pontin added.
"It's hard to imagine the feelings of those who served and their families with devastation of World War II so fresh in their minds."
The Korea War began on June 25, 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea.
All three of Australia's armed services took part in the war.
Doing it for dad
The annual Korea Day commemorative service is an unmissable event for Sylvia Mann and her family.
Since moving to the area almost a decade ago, Mrs Mann continues to pay tribute to her father, Korea War veteran George Edward Wilson, at the Taree service.
Mr Wilson served in Korea with the Duke of Wellington regiment at just 17 years of age. In the early 2000s, he returned to the country for the first time.
"He saw the changes and understood what he fought for," Mrs Mann said.
This experience put him at peace and began to open up to the family about the war.
"We have a film, about three or four hours long, of him talking about it," Mrs Mann said. "We made copies for the whole family."
Mr Wilson died a few years ago.
Mrs Mann and her husband Phil remain heavily involved with NSW Korean Veterans Association in executive roles.
They have watched firsthand as the number of veterans and members dwindle over time. This only makes the annual commemorative service more special.