Commemorating Vietnam Veterans Day

YESTERDAY marked the nation’s Vietnam Veterans’ Day, recognising the contributions of all service people during the Vietnam War.

Originally Long Tan Day, after the 1966 battle, Bob Hawke declared 18 August to be the official day of all Vietnam veterans in 1987 after Sydney’s ‘welcome home’ parade.

Gordon Hunt, secretary of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Ballarat Sub-Branch said, naturally, the date still tends to draw focus to the Battle of Long Tan, but having an awareness of that event is just scratching the broader surface.

“In total, from start to finish, there were 13 years of it, but Long Tan was one afternoon,” he said.

“The Battle of Coral-Balmoral was a big event, and the first guy wounded in that was a Ballarat person.

“This year is the 50th year since Operation Hammersley, and during that time, we had 15 killed in action in about 30 days.”

Mr Hunt arrived in Vietnam in 1969, and celebrated his 21st birthday two weeks afterwards.

He worked in the Australian Force Vietnam cash office, looking after pays at Detachment One, Nui Dat for five months, before moving to work at Saigon’s head office for two months.

“Our responsibility was to pay the troops, and pay civilian contractors.

“Anyone who was KIA, we had the responsibility within 48 hours to get their pay accounts and leave up to date, and provide a cheque to the family,” he said.

“There was no internet, so it was all manually done and physically delivered.”

VVAA Ballarat Sub-Branch is the second oldest group of its kind in the state, about 40 years old. With 102 members, the youngest is 69 and the oldest is exactly twenty years their senior.

Every Vietnam Veterans’ Day, the group usually holds a service at Sturt Street’s South East Asia Memorial. They gift a teddy to the first baby born in Ballarat during that 24 hours, and flowers to their mother.

The Sub-Branch sells badges and biros throughout the city’s shopping centres in the week before the annual day, to raise welfare money for members and awareness of veterans’ experiences.

But this year, due to COVID-19, the service, and sales, weren’t possible.

“It’s been a bit of an upset, but that’s okay. We have support from larger welfare organisations that we can plug into. We won’t be short, but we’d rather operate on our own,” Mr Hunt said.

“People still ring and want to join the association. The newer veterans, we take them under our wing as well, so it’s an ongoing business.”

When possible, members regularly keep in touch, heading out to pubs around Ballarat for dinner and a chat.