Parliament House Canberra ACT 2602
Telephone 02 6277 7820 Facsimile 02 6273 4140
The Hon Alan Griffin MP
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
VA062
Thursday, 23 July 2009
FUZZY WUZZY ANGEL PRESENTED WITH MEDALLION
The first commemorative medallion honouring Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’ care for Australian soldiers during
the Second World War will be presented by the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Alan Griffin, at 3pm today.
Speaking on Papua New Guinea’s Remembrance Day, the Minister said he was honoured to be in
Papua New Guinea (PNG) to present the first medallion at a special service in Bomana War Cemetery
near Port Moresby.
“Australians have long revered the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels for their role in carrying supplies to troops
fighting in nearly inaccessible terrain and for their care in evacuating the wounded,” Mr Griffin said.
“Many Australians who became sick or wounded during the New Guinea campaign owe their lives to
these civilians, who are affectionately known as Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels.
“They earned great respect for their strength, ingenuity and compassion. Their contribution is the basis
of much of the goodwill and warm relations between the two countries.”
The Medallion was announced by Prime Minister Rudd and Prime Minister Somare on 28 April 2009.
The Medallion features the image of a blinded and barefoot Private George Whittington being helped
along by Raphael Oimbari, which came from a photograph taken on Christmas Day 1942 near Buna on
the PNG north coast.
An estimated 50,000 Papuan and New Guinean citizens assisted during the Second World War by
carrying supplies, building bases, airfields and other wartime infrastructure, and evacuating the sick and
the wounded from the fighting.
The medallions are available to surviving Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels and the widows or widowers of Fuzzy
Wuzzy Angels. The Australian Government is seeking to ensure all surviving Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels are
honoured. More information on nominations is available from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs or the
Australian High Commission in PNG.
While in PNG, Minister Griffin is also attending events commemorating Remembrance Day.
“The men whose lives depended on the work of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels rightly held them in high
esteem. It is a mark of the enduring nature of that esteem that we continue to honour those efforts which
began 65 years ago,” Mr Griffin said.
Editors’ note: an image of the medallion is now available for download from
available for download later this afternoon.
Media inquiries: Belinda Cole 0437 863 109
The VVCS – Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a
week on 1800 011 046.
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