Port Adelaide ruck Jordon Sweet was inspired by Corey Durdin’s gesture to honour his great, great grandfather on Anzac Day, with Sweet set to represent his own family’s legacy. 

Both Durdin and Sweet will wear special reminders of their respective ancestors during the pre-game observance ceremony at Adelaide Oval on Saturday. 

Sweet’s great grandfather on his mother’s side, Leonard Horace Loveday, was a member of the British armed forces, who became a prisoner of war during World War II. 

Only having learned of Leonard’s story in recent months, Sweet was prompted by Durdin’s story to show public appreciation for his own family member’s sacrifices. 

“After seeing Corey’s story of his great, great grandfather, I just thought it was such a cool way to pay respect to people who have done a lot of things we couldn’t even imagine,” Sweet said. 

“My great grandfather was English, and what he went through for his country was significant. It’s special to pay respect to him for that.” 

Leonard, an artillery soldier, was captured by the Germans twice during WWII – first in North Africa and once again in Italy.  

He managed to escape and was cared for by Italian partisans, a resistance group that fought against the Nazis, before being captured once more and sent to a German stalag. 

“I’ve been learning about family history that I didn’t really know about before, and it’s really inspiring,” Sweet said. 

“People have done great things and gone through tough times. Having war veterans in your family puts things into perspective. Life could be very different to what it is now. We’re very thankful for what they did.” 

As Leonard’s medals have never been mounted, Sweet will wear Leonard’s ribbon bar on the day. Medal recipients display their own medals on the left-hand side of their chest, while relatives wear them on the right. 

Sweet and Durdin will become the first AFL players to wear medals or ribbons during a pre-game ceremony that have been awarded to a family member.