In their father’s footsteps
To honour the memory of their World War I veteran father, two brothers have plans to ‘‘follow in his footsteps’’.
Wayne Hopkinson, 72, and his brother Frank, 50, plan to visit all the sites their father, Herbert Francis Hopkinson, was posted to.
Hopkinson, 944 private, of the 22nd battalion AIF, 4th Imperial Camel Corps was enlisted in February of 1915 and discharged in November of 1917.
‘‘He was 15 when he went to war,’’ Wayne says.
‘‘My dad was a very fair man, but a very hard man. In his work, he took no nonsense.’’
Wayne coaxed his dad to write his memoirs of the war, but he only wrote a few chapters.
The brothers would like to witness their dad’s travels first-hand starting with Gallipoli to mark Anzac Day.
Then in Cairo, they will explore some of his military campaigns.
‘‘We want to go into those areas only if it is politically stable,’’ Wayne says.
Also on the itinerary is a visit to India, where their father worked in the oil wells in Assam.
Lastly, they will visit his grave in Fiji where they have plans to recondition it with a military plaque.
Hopkinson was an Australian who worked in Fiji as a mining engineer for close to 40 years.
Wayne and Frank were born there. Wayne’s mum is part Samoan and Frank’s is Fijian.
Now, Wayne lives in Australia and Frank in Mangere.
‘‘I remember him telling me about a brothel madam, Tigerlily who fell in love with him and wanted to marry him,’’ Wayne recalls.
But, he says his father wasn’t sure how people back in Australia would react.
At that time, a lot of the ‘‘soldiers in Cairo began getting sexually transmitted diseases and so my dad and a few others went and burnt the brothel down’’.
‘‘That’s very big story. People know about this woman. It’s a very interesting story about his lifestyle.’’
Frank, the youngest, recalls his dad as being a ‘‘humble and caring man’’.
‘‘We’re seeking sponsorship and funds for this trip. We will be documenting our travels,’’ Wayne says.
They have plans to bring National Geographic or Discovery on board this trip.