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Starcevich VC

The Muddy Puddles.

The puddles were done using casting resin with catalyst. Due to the heavy nightly rainfall, the ground at Beaufort was a quagmire. Therefore, I needed some muddy puddles about the place! The resin was poured into an empty Humbrol acrylic plastic jar, then a few drops of Tamiya desert yellow were added. This was mixed thoroughly with the catalyst, then slowly poured into each rut or hole to the depth of about 2mm. Using a wooden popstick, I carefully worked the centrally poured resin to the edges of the ruts/holes. When the resin had set, I did a second pour to deepen the puddles to about 4mm. Make sure there is no dust in the air as this will embed in the resin and maybe ruin it. Make sure you have a mask and are pouring in a well ventilated area.

The Tropical Tree.

The large tropical tree was made using a natural wooden twig for the armature. The first step to making a tree involves going out into nature, and finding a good quality, dry branch with lots of twig structure.

The leaves I have used on my tree are completely natural, taken from a small fern I found growing near my home. They were preserved (by leaving them inside a notepad for about a week) before being airbrushed. One by one, they were glued to the armature.

Conclusion.

After the war, Starcevich settled down to a farming life in country W.A. He felt like a reluctant hero, rarely agreeing to be interviewed and hardly showed his medals. He was subject to the fuss of legal battles, one of which involved another man pretending to be ‘Starcevich VC’. Typical to the real Starcevich’s gentle nature, the fuss was coolly laughed off without bitterness. Even in his retirement, his kindly spirit saw him once again helping fellow people. He supported the RSL, local sporting teams and cropping programs around his home at Grass Patch, Esperance. After health trouble and resulting bypasses, Starcevich (Western Australia’s last surviving VC winner) passed away in 1989, aged 71.

Today the track along which Starcevich and his mates fought is called “VC Road”- and the citizens of Beaufort have built a memorial to him at the site of the action. Finally, I hope that this diorama can reflect in some way the bravery, humility and devotion to duty shown by Private Starcevich on that day, and throughout his entire life.

My thanks go to many people for their help, tips and inspiration which helped build this diorama. I especially would like to thank everyone who helped with research, Martin Schuster for his inspirational groundwork tips, Santiago Tre and Loo Chee Keong for additional vegetation ideas. For anyone else who may have given advice or feedback who I have regrettably forgotten, I thank you for your help.