The old soldier bowed his head in the steady rain at Maitland and silently mouthed the words to the Ode. Perhaps he was thinking of his wife, Dot - "a nurse married a soldier," he said later with a glint in his eye and a smile. Perhaps he was thinking of the American soldier "a million miles from home" whom he befriended in care over a shared love of music. Perhaps he was thinking of any number of years of service he gave in Korea and Vietnam.
It is impossible to know. But later, he would say that he looked forward to these quiet moments during the service to be among friends and to remember.
"It's a wonderful life," he said at one point.
Basil Stemp grew up poor, living in a South Australian migrant camp where rent was three and ninepence a week.
"It was a hut," he said. "A couple of old army beds, a pillow, and a cupboard, and that was it. For three and ninepence, that's not bad. It's somewhere to sleep. And we used to burn sleeper posts under these great big lumps of steel like a barbecue. You didn't have to eat anything; you could just stand in the door and breathe it all in. It was terrific."
From those humble beginnings, a life of military service seemed like a luxury - the army prepared meals for you, gave you better clothing and accommodation, and even paid wages.
"I left the migrant camp on Friday, and on Monday, I was in the Army," Mr Stemp said.
The 92-year-old veteran has countless stories like that, enough to fill a book aptly titled Been There, Done That that describes his life, years of military service, tours of Korea and Vietnam, and time serving in Japan.
"It was my platoon sergeant, Sergeant Swan," he said. "Swannie a very broad-spoken Englishman who said he wanted volunteers to go to Korea.
"We were on parade one afternoon, and he said he wanted four volunteers for Korea. Not a sound."
He lowered his voice to almost a whisper.
"He said, 'Alright', and read out four names on Monday morning, and mine was the first one out. Good old Swannie."
Mr Stemp is the last surviving Korean War veteran of the East Maitland RSL sub-branch and was a special guest at a small service honouring the soldiers of that conflict at the Anzac Cenotaph in East Maitland on Saturday, July 27.
Wing Commander David Fattore, the senior ADF officer at Williamtown, spoke briefly about the history of Australia's involvement in the conflict before the Ode and Reveille were sounded and wreaths were laid. Prayers were offered by members of the Salvation Army.
Mr Stemp served as a Bren gunner in his company in Korea. The Bren light machine gun was the main portable firepower of Australian infantry in that war and was also used in World War II. It was an accurate and reliable weapon, with one assigned to each platoon.
"Unfortunately, when I first fired the Bren, I shot the possible (target), so they made me the Bren gunner," Mr Stemp said with a smile. "I didn't know that was going to happen."
Then: "I was in 23 units in 23 years. The shortest was 30 minutes. The longest was nine years. I got around to a lot."
Mr Stemp was a sign writer by trade and worked on the railways. When he returned home from service, he returned to his first calling. He eventually had around 40 stations on his remit and worked on the Newcastle Show.
"I've got signs everywhere," he said, "Maitland Station, Broadmeadow Station."
As the serving and former soldiers mingled after the service, an old friend - a patron of the East Maitland sub-branch - came up and shook Mr Stemp's hand.
"It's always better above ground, isn't Basil?" he said, and they laughed. The pair shared a few words before parting.
"OK, mate," the patron said, "I'll see you next year."
"I'll be here," Mr Stemp said emphatically, "I'm only 92. I'm only a lad yet."
