How our blokes stood up for Australia
Army mates, Stan Whitford formerly of Wonthaggi, and Rob Fennell of Leongatha, at a Vietnam veterans’ reunion. mgvietnam3_3423 WHEN they were asked to stand, they stood as one, and for many of them, they were being offered the gratitude of a nation...
WHEN they were asked to stand, they stood as one, and for many of them, they were being offered the gratitude of a nation for the very first time, in more than half a century.
That’s the lasting, emotional image of the National Commemoration for the 50th Anniversary of the end of Australia’s Involvement in the Vietnam War in Canberra last Friday.
“When our veterans returned home many felt unsupported, unrecognised. The question of conscription and national service divided Australia. The public was disillusioned by a war presented for the first time on their TV screens at home,” said Matt Keogh MP, Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel.
“In 1973, there was no homecoming parade for returning service personnel. 50 years on, we are here to express our heartfelt gratitude for the service our Vietnam veterans gave in our name.”
And quoting the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, who wasn’t there to say it himself: “We honour you. We thank you. And we are so sorry it took us so long as a nation to do so. You deserve better.”
They also deserved the Prime Minister’s attendance at the National Commemoration service, instead of the Ipswich RSL but apparently the ALP National Conference in Brisbane was more important.
And when those thousands of Vietnam veterans stood, it was in front of the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial, a significant structure, halfway along Anzac Parade, which not only displays the names of the 523 Australians who gave their lives in the Vietnam War, but also the iconic Mike Coleridge photo, sandblasted into the wall of the monument, of a group of soldiers from 5 Platoon, B Company, 7RAR, waiting for an Iroquois helicopter to land and take them back to their base at Nui Dat.
And 1000 years from now, when they ask their AI devices “who are those men” they will name Private Rob Fennell of Leongatha, the one with the ammunition belt for an M60 slung over his shoulder, and Lance Corporal Stan Whitford, formerly of Wonthaggi, holding his rifle at the front.
Also included are Corporal Bob D'Arcy, Private Neal Hasted, Private Ian Jury, Colin Barnett and the helicopter marshal Private John Raymond Gould.
It’s quite incredible to think, that of the 60,000 Australians who served in Vietnam, two of the seven soldiers depicted on that national memorial were conscripted from this area.
Rob Fennell, who is battling Parkinsons Disease, was unable to go to Canberra for the event, but he was there in spirit with his best army mate, Stan Whitford, now of Shepparton, meeting up after the ceremony with another of the men in the Coleridge photo, Neal Hasted, ironically, from Ipswich.
Taking the opportunity, like many other Vietnam veterans, to get a photo in front of the memorial after the ceremony, Stan Whitford said the honour of being featured so prominently sat better with him now than when it was first dedicated in October 1992.
“It represents everyone, I hardly tell anyone that I’m in it. We represent everyone,” said Neal Hasted.
“We tried our hardest and did the best we could,” he said.
“It’s an honour and how we feel has settled a lot since we first saw it,” said Stan.
“But the kids, and the grandkids especially, they’re very proud.
“It’s a huge honour and to think it’s going to be there forever. That’s quite something.”
Stan moved to Wonthaggi when he was 18, and before being called up for national service in 1967, worked at his parents’ sports store in town.
He remembers well the old Zephyr car, which he bought in Wonthaggi, to drive to Puckapunyal for training, and also the fortunate meeting with Rob Fennell, before they both departed on HMAS Sydney for their 12-month tour of duty.
On returning to Wonthaggi, he married his wife Robyn, worked for a time delivering milk for ‘Chick’ Hanley and at Cyclone Forgings.
“After that we thought we’d give something else a go and ended up running a series of motels.”
And asked who won all those boxing matches, that their army mates remember as being a little too combative during the year of service, Stan nominated Rob.
“I always had my hands up, he threw more punches than me.”
See also a related article at https://www.sgst.com.au/news/leongatha-wonthaggi-and-that-image-of-the-vietnam-war
