Kenna VC Rest Area
Pheasants Nest, NSW
Hume Motorway (M31)
At a Glance
About
The Kenna VC Rest Area sits alongside the northbound lanes of the Hume Motorway (M31) at Pheasants Nest, New South Wales, and marks stop 3 of 20 along the Remembrance Driveway. Travellers continuing north will reach the Keith Payne VC Rest Area as their next stop, while those retracing their route can look back to the Partridge VC Rest Area to the south. This rest area honours Private Edward 'Ted' Kenna VC, of the 2/4th Australian Infantry Battalion, whose extraordinary act of courage took place on 15 May 1945 at Wirui Mission, near Wewak, in New Guinea. Born in Hamilton, Victoria, on 6 July 1919, Kenna grew up in the Western District wool country and worked as a farm labourer before enlisting in the Second Australian Imperial Force in 1940. He served across the Middle East and the Pacific before the defining moment for which he is remembered. When his company was pinned down by withering Japanese machine-gun fire from a heavily fortified bunker, Kenna acted without orders. He stood up in full view of the enemy — less than fifty yards away — and engaged the bunker with his Bren gun fired from the hip. Enemy fire was so accurate that bullets passed between his arms and his body as he held his ground. That singular act of composure under fire was central to his Victoria Cross citation. He lived a long life, returning to Hamilton, where he died on 8 July 2009, just two days after his 90th birthday. The rest area is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provides toilets and picnic tables for travellers making a short stop. Dedicated truck parking is available, making it a practical pause point for heavy vehicle drivers on the busy M31 corridor. Caravans can pull in comfortably. This is a roadside rest area intended for short breaks rather than extended stays.
Victoria Cross Recipient
Private Edward Kenna VC
2/4th Australian Infantry Battalion
Edward 'Ted' Kenna was born in Hamilton, Victoria, on 6 July 1919. He grew up in the Western District wool country and worked as a farm labourer before enlisting in the Second Australian Imperial Force in 1940. He served with the 2/4th Infantry Battalion in campaigns across the Middle East and the Pacific.
On 15 May 1945, during the attack on the Wirui Mission features near Wewak in New Guinea, Kenna's company was pinned down by devastating Japanese machine-gun fire from a heavily fortified bunker. On his own initiative and without orders, Kenna stood up in full view of the enemy, less than fifty yards away, and engaged the bunker with his Bren gun fired from the hip. The enemy machine gun returned fire with such accuracy that bullets passed between his arms and his body, yet he remained completely exposed, continuing to fire until his magazine was exhausted. He then seized a rifle and, with extraordinary coolness, killed the gunner with his first round. His actions enabled his company to take its objective.
Kenna was one of the last Australians to receive the Victoria Cross in the Second World War. After the war he returned to Hamilton and worked for the local council. He was the last living Australian recipient of the original Imperial Victoria Cross for many years before his death in Hamilton on 8 July 2009, two days after his ninetieth birthday.
Born 6 July 1919, Hamilton, VIC. Died 8 July 2009, Hamilton, VIC.
References
Remembrance Driveway →
Stop 3 of 20 along the Remembrance Driveway
View all 20 stops
- Sir Roden Cutler VC Rest Area
- Partridge VC Rest Area Southbound
- Kenna VC Rest Area
- Keith Payne VC Rest Area
- Gordon VC Rest Area
- Mackey VC Rest Area
- Kingsbury VC Rest Area
- Chowne VC Rest Area
- Derrick VC Rest Area
- French VC Rest Area
- Kibby VC Rest Area
- Edmondson VC Rest Area
- Gratwick VC Rest Area
- Gurney VC Rest Area
- Badcoe VC Rest Area
- Wheatley VC Rest Area
- Anderson VC Rest Area
- Middleton VC Rest Area
- Newton VC Rest Area
- Edwards VC Rest Area
Facilities
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Nearby
Campsites(5)
Trails(3)
Attractions(5)
Toilets(3)
Groceries(5)
Fuel(5)
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