ANZAC DAY: Celebrating the Life of an Unsung Mercy Health Hero

For more than a century, Australians have gathered on 25 April at dawn services and parades across the nation, honouring those who fought for our country.

For Perth local and Mercy Place Lathlain resident, Ivy Ballentine, this ANZAC Day marks 83 years since she began her service with the Australian Army.

 
Service Headshot of Ivy Ballentine

Born and raised in North Perth, Ivy’s parents lived through WWI. Together with her sister, Dorothy and Ivy Sanders were raised to see the positive in every situation and to always say yes to opportunities that came their way.

“I grew up being taught to make the most of every opportunity, to give back and support people where I could. This is what drove me to join the Army,” Ivy said.

Touched by the tragedies of the War, Ivy made the brave decision to join the Australian Army after losing her childhood sweetheart onboard the 1941 sinking of HMAS Sydney. Ivy was just 22 years old.

After completing her training at Northam Army Camp, Ivy was posted at Monument Hill in Fremantle with the Second Australian Imperial Force. For almost three years Ivy worked on an aircraft assignment, plotting enemy flight paths and passing coordinates onto Australian gunners for targeting.

“Of course, there were atrocities of war, but there were also many moments of joy” said Ivy as she recounted her time in the Army.

Each year until the age of 99, Ivy paid her respect at the ANZAC Day march held on St Georges Terrace in Perth. A location which holds many fond memories, including the day she first met her second love George Mallins in 1940.

“I met George at the ANZAC Club on St Georges Terrace. I remember it like it was yesterday. We quickly fell in love and were married soon after,” Ivy said.

 
Ivy and George

Filled with the excitement of building a family and starting a new life, plans were put on hold for the newlyweds as George was posted to the Middle East and taken a prisoner of war for two and a half years. He didn’t return home until 1945.

“Once George returned, we moved to a war service home in Carlisle, Western Australia and began to rebuild our lives there,” Ivy said.

Determined to rewrite the cruelties of their past and embark on a new beginning, the pair welcomed their first child, John, in 1946 and their second, Margaret, in 1948.

In her later life, Ivy started volunteering which saw her donate her time to the Australian Red Cross and Mercy Place Lathlain.

After volunteering at Mercy Place Lathlain for 20 years, Ivy decided to call it her home at the age of 99 where she has resided ever since. Just a month before ANZAC Day, Ivy celebrated her 105th Birthday with fellow resident’s form Mercy Place Lathlain and friends.

“My weekly visits to Mercy Place were always filled with such joy. It’s why I chose it as my next home. They are so good to me here,” Ivy said.

Ivy received a Citizen of the Year Award by the Belmont Rotary Club for her dedicated work volunteering. Around this time Ivy also met her second Husband Bob – the pair was happily married from 1987 until his passing in 2000.

For Ivy’s family, ANZAC Day is a day to pay tribute to the service men and women, like Ivy and George, who selflessly served our country all those years ago.

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