Community & Business
22 October, 2025
Mareeba loses its last known WWII veteran
MAREEBA has lost its last known World War II veteran, with Gordon Powell, aged 99 years and 11 months, slipping peacefully away, surrounded by his family, on 24 September.
But his family will still celebrate what would have been Gordon’s 100th birthday, with a wake and RSL Poppy Service on 24 October from 1.30pm at the Mareeba Leagues Club.
Gordon was born on the 24 October 1925, in Bristol UK, and on his 18th birthday, during World War II, he enlisted in the Royal Navy.
He trained as a Gunner and was assigned to the MV Derrycunihy, a British cargo ship commandeered as military transport. During the D Day landings in June 1944, the ship, carrying over 500 troops and military equipment, struck a mine and sunk at Sword Beach with a great loss of life, off the coast of Normandy.
Of the 659 souls aboard, 183 troops and 25 crew members were lost, with Gordon being the only surviving gunner.
This disaster represented the biggest single loss of life off the Normandy invasion beaches. Gordon continued active service through to 1946, spending the last year of his service mine sweeping the Atlantic Ocean above the Hebrides.
He was awarded four medals – the 1939-1945 Star, the Atlantic Star with France and Germany Clasp, the Defence Medal, and the 1939-1945 War Medal.
In 2017, Gordon was invested as a Chevalier (Knight) de La Legion D’Honneur by the French President, the highest award for bravery, to acknowledge his steadfast service in the liberation of France during WWII, and, in 2025, was made a life member of RSL Australia.
Gordon married Joyce in 1947 and, in 1952, along with daughters Susan and Cheryl, migrated to Melbourne on the SS Ranchi, which caught fire in the middle of the Indian Ocean and very nearly never made it.
After a few years in Victoria, they travelled around Australia for several years in a caravan before settling in Glen Innes where two more girls, Rhondda and Sonia, were born.
Then in 1963, they moved to Mareeba, where Gordon and Joyce purchased Percy
Hansen’s wrecking yard on Ray Road, later adding a weighbridge, scrap metal facility, and crane hire business.
During his time, Gordon was very active in the Mareeba community, becoming a member of the Masons, the Town Band, Legacy, indoor bowls, and the RSL.
He enjoyed sailing, winning numerous yachting classics, and helped build the Port Douglas Yacht Club. Sadly in 2006, after a short retirement at Wonga Beach, Joyce passed away, and to be nearer to his family, Gordon returned to Mareeba, frequently visiting Chillagoe, until his death.
He was a loving father, grandfather and great grandfather, and a generous friend and mentor to many, and will be deeply missed.
Gordon is survived by his daughters Susan, Cheryl, Rhondda, Sonia, son-in-law Eric, and their families.
