Contributed By Les Scott
WORLD War II veteran Richard “Mick” Scott, 104, will attend this year’s ANZAC Day March and Service at Glass House Mountains, continuing a lifelong tradition of honouring his fellow servicemen and women.
Mr Scott, who will turn 105 in August, has attended an ANZAC Day service every year since returning from the war.
This year, he will again be joined by his family and friends as he participates in the commemorations.
Born in Muttaburra, western Queensland, on 3 August 1920, Mr Scott was working as a stockman when World War II broke out in 1939.
He left his job and travelled to Brisbane, where his parents had recently purchased a store in Morningside, and applied to join the Royal Australian Air Force.
After spending Christmas with his family, he travelled to Laverton, Victoria, and formally enlisted on 5 February 1940.
He was assigned to No. 10 Squadron and deployed to Great Britain later that year.
He served in the Royal Air Force Coastal Command as a tail gunner on Sunderland Flying Boats, operating from the UK and flying missions across the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean and North Africa.
While stationed in Wales, Mr Scott married Muriel Trott in Cardiff in 1942.
Two children were born during the war—son Rick in 1943 and daughter Janet in 1945.
Mr Scott returned to Australia in January 1946 and was discharged from the RAAF the following month.
He purchased a farm at Eudlo on Queensland’s North Coast (now the Sunshine Coast) and sent for his family, who arrived from Wales in July 1946.
In Eudlo, he began farming pineapples and bananas.
Two more children, Les and Lorraine, were born after the war.
Mr Scott also became involved in the local community, helping to establish an RSL Sub-Branch at Eudlo and serving as its treasurer.
Though that sub-branch later closed, its charter remains on display at the Palmwoods Memorial Hall.
In 1951, the family sold the farm and moved to Landsborough, where Mick Scott worked as a truck driver for the Landsborough Shire Council.
He and his wife continued their community involvement and joined the newly reformed Landsborough RSL Sub-Branch in 1953.
Mr Scott then served in various roles including treasurer and president.
In 1991, the Landsborough and Glass House Mountains sub-branches merged to form the Glasshouse Country RSL Sub-Branch, which continues to run local ANZAC Day events.
His former presidency is still recognised today by his inclusion on a honour board at the Glasshouse Country RSL Sub-Branch building.
After more than two decades in Landsborough, Mr Scott and his wife retired to Caloundra in 1987 and settled at Golden Beach, where he still lives today.
Muriel Scott passed away in 2013 after more than 70 years of marriage.
Mick Scott transferred his RSL membership to the Caloundra Sub-Branch, where he is now a life member.
He continued to attend the Caloundra ANZAC Day March and Service until 2015, when a change in scheduling prompted him to return to the Landsborough 9am service.
That event was paused in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, so he attended the Glass House Mountains mid-morning service instead.
In 2023 and 2024, the Landsborough event resumed, and Mr Scott and his family returned to attend.
This year, he will once again attend the Glass House Mountains service at 10am.
Now approaching 105, Mick Scott proudly continues to make his presence felt at ANZAC Day events across the region.
His consistent attendance is a visible reminder of the service and sacrifice made by Australia’s veterans.
His long-standing commitment to the RSL and ANZAC Day reflects a life of service—during wartime, in community life, and in remembrance of those who did not return.
