Harry Rickard
After enlisting in Campbell Town, Eleanor transferred to the Australian Army Medical Women's Service (A.A.M.W.S.) in February 1943, despite initial resistance from her father, a World War I veteran.
She completed her training at Balcombe in Victoria before serving at several hospitals in Queensland. In early 1945, at just 23 years of age, Eleanor was selected as one of 29 young nurses to be posted to Bougainville.
There, she joined the 2/1st Australian General Hospital. While sheltering from a tropical storm, Eleanor met Harry Rickard — a chance encounter that would change both their lives.
On V-P Day, August 15, 1945, as the world celebrated the end of World War II, Harry and Eleanor were married in the first army wedding on Bougainville. The ceremony was held in the AGH Army Chapel Tent at Torokina.
Their honeymoon was spent in a rest house in the mountains before Eleanor returned to Tasmania to complete her service and discharge from the Army.
She later reunited with Harry in Curyo, Victoria, where the couple settled before eventually moving to Birchip.
Together, Harry and Eleanor raised three children and continued their shared connection to rural life and community service.
Their relationship, which began with a chance meeting during wartime, endured long after the war had ended. In 2005, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary — a testament to a bond forged through service, chance and enduring love.
Corporal James Henry Rickard, known as Harry, enlisted in the Australian Army on January 29, 1942. He trained at Caulfield and Balcombe before embarking on a journey that would take him across Australia and the Pacific.
After being posted to various transport and supply units, Harry boarded the Queen Elizabeth, then the largest ship in the world, for overseas deployment. He served with the 133rd Australian General Transport Company, where he endured difficult conditions in New Guinea.
His service included transporting supplies across the mountainous terrain between Wau and Labu. During this time, he suffered bouts of dengue fever and neurasthenia, as well as a broken ankle. Despite these challenges, Harry continued his service and was promoted to Transport Officer of the 69th Transport Platoon in early 1945. He remained in the Army until the end of the war in November that year.
Private Eleanor Mary Townsend, originally from Little Hampton, Tasmania, joined the Voluntary Aid Detachments (V.A.D.) in October 1942 after years of Red Cross and St John Ambulance work.
