Aussie veteran Sam McDonald says his old Kiwi mate Rod Berge joined the Australian Army because he was "too ugly" to be accepted by the New Zealand armed forces.
"The Australian Army must have been bloody desperate when they accepted him," said Mr McDonald, over from the other side of the Tasman to spend Anzac Day with his Whanganui pal.
Despite the ribbing, the two have been firm friends for 50 years and Mr McDonald, who lives in Mandurah, Perth, and Mr Berge call each other to chat two or three times each month.
They also visit each other regularly, and this year it is Mr McDonald's turn to visit Mr Berge and his wife Pat to celebrate Anzac Day. They completed Special Air Service training together and served in Borneo during the 1960s in the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation (Konfrontasi).
"The SAS training is very tough and when you go through something like that together, you do form very strong bonds," said Mr McDonald.