Restaurant honours the fallen

IF YOU were driving past the Yamanto Shopping Centre on Friday afternoon you may have seen a touching tribute to two soldiers who died serving their country.

After receiving a request from staff at the Royal Australian Air Force Base at Amberley, management at the nearby McDonald’s restaurant agreed to lower the Australian flag to half mast while the repatriation ceremony for Private Grant Kirby and Private Tomas Dale took place.

Although it was a gesture made out of respect rather than a one designed to grab attention, the restaurant management’s action did not go unnoticed.

The Queensland Times this week received a text message from a reader who wanted to commend the management for its decision to honour the Australian soldiers by lowering the flag.

McDonald’s Yamanto manager Simon Smith said he was happy to oblige the RAAF’s request.

“As one of the few businesses around here with the big Australian flag out the front, the RAAF thought it would be an appropriate gesture,” Mr Smith said. “There’s no real issue if they want us to do that – we’re only too happy.”

Privates Kirby, 35 and Dale, 21 were killed by a roadside bomb in Baluchi Valley, Afghanistan on August 20.

The Yamanto restaurant also flew the flag at half mast during the ramp ceremony for fallen soldiers Sapper Darren Smith and Sapper Jacob Moerland in June this year.

Twenty-one Australian soldiers have been killed during the country’s nine-year campaign in Afghanistan.