Australia's oldest living Victoria Cross recipient hopes the slouch hat he wore when presented with the medal, will remain on public display after it is sold for charity.
Keith Payne was presented with the medal by Queen Elizabeth II in 1970, to honour his efforts during the Vietnam War.
It was during the Battle of Ben Het, that the injured Warrant Officer rescued 40 fellow soldiers, despite being surrounded by enemy troops on three sides.
He then spent several hours searching the battlefield under fire for more injured soldiers.
The Mackay resident has donated the iconic hat to the Rotary Club of Mackay North to help raise money for local groups.
The 86-year-old came up with the idea when he attended a meeting with a friend.
"They were talking about funding and I thought that slouch hat has been sitting around the house since Vietnam and they might make a bob out of that," he said.
Warrant Officer Payne said the hat meant a lot to Australians, and he would like to see it kept on public display.
"I don't think it'd [serve any] great purpose if it was just put into a private collection where a bloke's just got it on his shelf," he said.
The decorated veteran said he hoped the hat raised a significant amount for Rotary-backed groups in the Mackay region.
"In the army now to get a slouch hat, it's about $90, so they'll want a lot more than $90," he said.
"I'd say they'd go close to 10-grand."
Club 'gobsmacked' by unique offer
Kent Lyons from the Rotary Club of Mackay North said member were overwhelmed when Warrant Officer Payne made the offer to donate the hat.
"He approached us and announced it, and we all thought it was a wonderful gesture," he said.
Mr Lyons said the auction has come at a critical time, with the club unable to run its regular and major fundraisers due to coronavirus restrictions.
"This opportunity to raise funds for our local community is an amazing thing to happen," he said.
"We hope that people with a passion for this type of memorabilia would put their hands deep into their pockets
