WHEN Norman Bunn left the sugarcane paddocks of Childers, Queensland, to serve his country as a 23-year-old, he was unsure if he would return.
When he did, it would be as a man noted for his bravery.
Initially joining the Light Horse, he went to England and Egypt for training before heading to the battlefields in France. He then moved to the Machine Gun company.
On the night of March 31, 1918, a machine gun bullet struck him straight in the chest.
A doctor removed the bullet which was lodged just under the skin of his back. Norman kept it as a souvenir.
He resumed his duties in June and was shipped back to France.
About a month later, Lieutenant Bunn would display the courage that country boys are made of.
Upon arrival at a mission under heavy fire, he sited his own gun plus three captured guns.
He then worked his guns with great skill, setting an example of courage and devotion to duty.
It was for this he was awarded the Military Cross.
It would be King George himself who pinned the Military Cross on Lieutenant Bunn at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
