Twice previously, Mazurek and his wife, Laraine, have driven the tarred highways and dirt and sand byways in year-long odysseys around the Australian continent. Nothing will surpass the emotional significance of this journey.

Ray Mazurek, 68, is nothing less than a marvel of the Great Lakes, a 24-hour-a-day volunteer for the Marine Rescue organisation of New South Wales at Forster's headquarters, based at the Breakwall over Wallis Lake's entrance to the ocean, a former divisional Commodore of the body, now Deputy Commodore.

Marine Rescue is a national organisation which keeps watch seven days a week for endangered vessels along the coastline, assisting in search and rescue operations, often in perilous seas, a body whose work is little known and often unsung.

With wife Laraine, four-time Forster Bowling Club champion and twice district champion, Mazurek and club members have tirelessly raised funds so that in the last decade Forster's Marine Rescue has purchased three ultra-modern rescue craft from the Steber boat-building company in Taree. Their combined value: a conservative $1,000,000.

Born in Germany in 1946 of Polish father and German mother, Ray and his parents arrived in Melbourne in 1950, living in a migrant hostel in Bonnegilla before moving to Mildura. He started school at five years of age in Peterborough, 200 kilometres south of Broken Hill.

Ray never attended secondary school, but was always an avid learner and diligent worker with an engineering bent. Because of his limited education, he failed his entrance exam to join the Navy at 17 only to be snapped up by the Army at 18.

Having been rejected by the Navy but still yearning for the ocean wave, he studied marine engineering with a passion. Now, he has nautical qualifications entitling him to sail ocean rescue vessels.

Ray finished his training at Kapooka in Wagga in 1965. Young and adventurous, he sought active service, transferring to "small ships" and being flown to Vung Tau in Vietnam in 1968 where his work involved logistics support along the coast, supplying combatants with supplies of ammunition, armaments and tanks.

While operating in the Mekong Delta, Mazurek came off duty at 8am and was relieving himself below deck when he heard the rapid "Ding! Ding! Ding!" of small arms fire from bullets bouncing off the hull of the Army Vessel "Clive Steele 1356".

Suddenly, there was an enormous explosion from a rocket propelled grenade striking the vessel, hurling him off the toilet, propelling him into the air and almost impaling him on a metal beam, injuring his back.

The "Steele" was struck by five rockets and though badly damaged and with men injured, the vessel limped back into port without foundering, but not before eliminating the nest of Vietcong fighters. Miraculously, none of the 48 men on board the "Steele" was killed.

Upon returning to civilian life in Sydney, Mazurek ventured into the building and heavy earth works moving industry, approaching his bank manager for the then substantial loan of $60,000 with the intention of purchasing a truck, bobcat and digging machine.

"You've had experience in this sort of business, have you?" the bank manager enquired of the brawny, confident young man seated before him.

"Of course, years of it, before the Army and after it," Mazurek said, never batting an eyelid. He never had, but he got the loan, set up a business, worked furiously from 4am till dark for 30-plus years, made money, had a family and retired to Forster.

Now, he is going to Albany where the Australian fleet anchored before sailing into World War I, a century ago. Ray will march to remember his mates, the men he fought with, the mates he never knew and never met, the men of Gallipoli. He will remember them.