Australia's oldest Karen veteran is preparing to march in his sixth Anzac Day parade, wearing the medals that he smuggled out of Burma and kept hidden for two decades in a refugee camp.
Former Lance Corporal Weeku enlisted in the army in 1937 in Burma, to fight with the British forces in the Second World War. For years he was a bugler, and towards the end of the conflict he served as a guard over the Japanese prisoners of war.
But - as his son Eh Too Saw Weeku translates - as a soldier Bordy subdued the enemy with words, instead of weapons.
"They didn't give him any trouble, because he teach them like politely. He has a gun but he never used it during that time," he said.
Since 2009, Bordy Weeku has marched in Anzac commemorations in Werribee, south-west of Melbourne, and twice he's attended the dawn service in the CBD.
He estimates his age at about 95, but friends say he's closer to 97. Victoria police Multicultural Liaison Officer Richard Dove said Bordy is a source a pride for the 10,000 Karen refugees in Australia.
"He's representing the whole of the community for Anzac day and that makes him a hero, and the things that he's done have made him a hero."
He was awarded medals for bravery from the British, but Bordy Weeku faced persecution from the Burmese for his loyalty to the allies.
"There was a belief amongst the Karen that they were going to get their own state, and they didn't and the people that they were fighting against at that time were given the keys. And ever since then it's been a battle for them to survive," said Leading Senior Constable Dove.
Bordy fled to a refugee camp on the Thai border, taking only his children, a picture of his departed wife and his military decorations.
Bordy Weeku (left) and his son Et Too Saw (right) (SBS)
The medals are his the only proof of service to the allied forces during the Second World War. He resisted insistence from other refugees to sell the medals to collectors, instead he kept them hidden under his pillow at the refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border for almost 20 years.
Now he wears them with pride on Anzac day.
"He often told me to keep it safe. He lets me polish them, but he has to have them back right away. He has to keep his medals and he's very proud to be a British soldier."
Bordy can recite his regiment numbers, and the names of his commanding officers without fault. But with only his medals as proof of service, he doesn't qualify for the pension subclass that provides for some international allied veterans who now reside in Australia.
Eligibility for the benefits is complex, and ultimately the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) states that "each nation should bear the responsibility for providing compensation to former members of its own forces, irrespective of where they later choose to reside."
President of the Werribee returned services league Daryl Ryan said it's an unfortunate circumstance, but there's only so much that can be done with limited resources.
"Where do you draw the line? We've got so many British out here, Canadians, New Zealanders so where do you draw the line. We're struggling as an RSL to even make sure the Australian ex-service personnel are looked after by DVA. And that's a heck of a struggle trying to look after the fellows coming back now from Afghanistan."
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