We should connect with our WWII veterans while we can

My grandfather, Corporal John Thomas Cosson, served in the army's 21 Dental Unit. My great aunt, Sergeant Lila Elizabeth Cosson, served in the Australian Army Pay Corps, and I had two aunties, Private Lila Margaret Spring and Signalman Lenore Elizabeth Cosson, who served in the Australian Women's Army Service.

On my mother's side, my uncles, Corporal Herbert Leslie Hawken and Able Seaman Ronald James Sydney Hawken, served in the army's Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit, and aboard the navy's HMAS Lonsdale.

Like me, you might have relatives who signed up in Australia's time of need.

Around 1 million Australians served in the Second World War.

Tomorrow, on August 15 (also known each year as Victory in the Pacific Day), Australia will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

I urge you to talk to your family members about any connection you may have to the war, and if you're fortunate enough to be related to or know a living Second World War veteran, now is the time to ask them about their experiences and hear their remarkable stories.

In Australia, we are enormously privileged to have around 12,000 of these service men and women still living among us.

We owe all our Second World War veterans a great debt of gratitude. They fought in campaigns against Germany and Italy in Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa, as well as against Japan in south-east Asia and the Pacific.

This generation of service men and women protected Australia from a very real threat. Australia came under direct attack for the first time in history, with the Japanese bombing northern parts of the country and attacking Sydney Harbour with midget submarines.

To honour the service and sacrifice of our Second World War veterans at home and abroad, the Department of Veterans' Affairs' has produced a commemorative medallion and certificate of commemoration. The medallion and certificate are available, upon application, to every living Australian veteran of the Second World War.

While Australia can never repay the debt we owe those Australians who served, this medallion and certificate are a small but meaningful way we can thank living veterans of the largest global conflict of the 20th century.

We will also mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with a nationally broadcast commemorative service at the Australian War Memorial at 10am tomorrow, August 15. Like the Anzac Day service, it will be closed to the public due to COVID-19.

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Although we will be apart, we will stand together to remember the sacrifice of the men and women who served during the war, including the more than 39,000 who lost their lives.

To increase awareness of that sacrifice, the Department of Veterans' Affairs has also produced a radio and social media series in the lead-up to this important anniversary. Entitled 75 days, 75 stories, it shares the extraordinary stories of those impacted by the Second World War - from veterans and widows to those on the home front.

I encourage all Australians to share their own stories of the Second World War. It might be a veteran telling their personal story, a family member telling the story of a loved one's service, or perhaps someone telling a story that has been passed down through the generations.

Take the time to listen to these unique stories. If you can, preserve, share and capture these individual stories. If you're active on social media, use the hashtag #OneInAMillion in your posts so we can share those stories as widely as possible. In doing so, not only will you learn more about these amazing men and women, but future generations of Australians will thank you for it.