Normie Rowe’s long road to Anzac Day

ENTERTAINER and Vietnam veteran Normie Rowe has a complex relationship with Anzac Day.

The national day of remembrance has changed drastically for the veteran and Banora Point resident, who returned home to a wave of cultural backlash.

“For returning soldiers, it was intense,” Rowe said.

“At one time, soldiers in any war were labelled killers of women and children, and anybody who came back from Vietnam was fair game.

“We weren’t allowed to wear military uniforms, and they gave us a budget to buy some cheap civilian clothes, so we weren’t targets.”

Rowe credits the changing public sentiment to a pivotal moment in popular culture.

“The catalyst of the change was John Schumann’s song I Was Only 19,” he said.

“It shifted the attitude towards veterans, across the entire service spectrum, and the community at large.

“Just you talking to me today wouldn’t have happened for the first 20 years after I came back.”

Rowe has long claimed he was wrongly conscripted in 1967, as his birth date was not included in the original ballot for his intake.

His birth date later appeared in what was described as a so-called supplementary ballot.

The timing — at the height of his pop career and amid declining public support for the war — has long fuelled his belief that the call-up was politically motivated.

At the time, Rowe was one of the country’s most popular performers.

Crowned King of Pop in 1968 and known for hits like Shakin’ All Over and It’s Not Easy, he experienced a major career setback as a result of his deployment.

He served in Vietnam from January to December 1969 with A Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, RAAC, and was discharged the following year.

Rowe gradually re-established himself in the entertainment industry.

His 1987 role as Jean Valjean in the Australian production of Les Misérables was a defining moment, attracting critical acclaim for a spine-tingling performance.

Reflecting on the evolution of Anzac Day, Rowe said it was important that younger veterans felt supported.

“I’d like them to understand the connection, and that the brotherhood and sisterhood of ex-service people is not just horizontal; it’s vertical,” he said.

“We were burned, and we could never burn other people because we truly know how it feels and have created incredible inroads in support of vets.

“For anybody struggling, I implore them to ring Open Arms – there’s always somebody there who can help them. Your mates are not always your age; they can be a generation or two older than you or younger,” he said.

Now 78, Rowe is a life member of the Currumbin RSL and said he was in the happiest period of his life.

He encouraged all veterans to make use of the support available to them.

“Be part of it – connect with mates, go to the gym supplied by VA. It’s great for me – I go to the gym three times a week,” he said.

“I’m going to be 80 in two years, and it’s essential that before we fall off the perch, the young vets retain the same entitlements that we were able to generate.

“It’s not about me; it’s the broad community of veterans and their families.

“Many WWII veterans got entitlements that didn’t exist before the Vietnam veterans agitated, and that again is proof of the brotherhood and sisterhood being a vertical connection,” he said.

This year, Rowe performed at the Lest We Forget Harbour Sunset Tribute at the Sydney Opera House as part of the national Anzac Day commemorations.

For veterans and their families seeking support, visit openarms.gov.au