Ten veterans from Goulburn, two of whom were absent, received more recognition and rightfully so, when the Governor General, His Excellency David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) and wife, Linda, presented them with the Department of Veterans' Affairs medallions and commemoration certificates at the Goulburn Soldiers Club on Thursday, August 13.

They were Lance Cooke, James Flood, Peter Allen, Ron Butterworth, Dulcie Gegg, Linda Mace (on behalf of Kathleen Mace), Vincent McMahon, Marshall Piggott, Roger Penman and Albert Privett.

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Mr Hurley explained the importance of events like these.

"Today is a very important day in our national history and indeed when we reflect back on global affairs in the last century," Mr Hurley said.

"As you grow older, you understand the purpose of coming together on those particular days.

"We know the numbers are slightly declining, and in that, we as a nation are poorer because we are losing members of a great generation that defines and makes Australia the country it is today.

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"For the community here today, to ask you to come together and to represent what we aspire to be, is really heart warming."

Mr Hurley was born a decade after WWII and said all veterans meant a lot to him.

"I was born in the shadow of the war in 1953 and I remember, very vividly as a young child, watching those Anzac Day marches on television," he said.

"In those days, we still had a number of WWI veterans marching, but the mass number of WWII veterans marching down George Street is a memory that will stay with me for life."

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As the 66-year-old said, numbers are declining, so it is up to the older generation to spread knowledge of the war to the youngsters.

"I know if I walk down the street today and ask people where places like Tobruk or Alamein are, I think our knowledge would be poor," he said.

"It's up to us as a community to go back to the younger generation and teach them what this generation did for us."

Besides the medallions and certificates, each veteran received a Rocky Hill memorial.

Also in attendance were Goulburn Mulwaree Mayor Bob Kirk, Member for Hume Angus Taylor and Goulburn RSL Sub Branch president, Gordon Wade.

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