Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise in acknowledgement of Vietnam Veterans Day and in thanks on behalf of a grateful nation to all who partook of the conflict in the Vietnam War. 18 August is a day on which the Battle of Long Tan has long been remembered and is now the day on which we remember and pay tribute to the sacrifices of all Australians who participated in the Vietnam War. This conflict may have been the first modern war where the community back home saw the horrors of war on their television sets. This horror was felt by everyone—not only the public through the many protests and the things that we saw here back home but, more realistically, by the veterans themselves who witnessed the horrors firsthand and who were actually there. The veterans have always suffered throughout their lives as a result of their service in times of war. The lack of adequate support on their return to their homeland increased the suffering tremendously, and we have all heard and seen stories of Vietnam vets and heard about the non-existent services when they first returned and the horrendous things that they went through, even on their return here to their homeland.

This year it was a great honour for me on Anzac Day, when I was actually in Vietnam and I attended the wreath-laying ceremony at Long Tan this Anzac Day, in the year of the 45th anniversary of the battle. It was attended by government officials, by the Ambassador to Vietnam and by the consul-general in the area, and we were joined by many Australian veterans who paid their respects at this place and at the time to the service of members of the Australian Defence Force throughout that conflict and to the recognition of the suffering that has continued since. It was a very eerie feeling turning up at dawn that morning in this rubber plantation. The current rubber trees that are there would all have been new growth from when the battle took place. As I said, it was very eerie to think that these young kids, really—19 or 20—were in this forest of rubber trees and then were pounced on by the enemy. But they did us proud. We heard stories that morning from many veterans who were there recounting what took place in that horrible, horrible battlefield. They did us proud and we are here to acknowledge their heroic efforts. It will be one of the battles that will go down in history as one that was so significant to Australia. As I said, it was a really eerie feeling being there at dawn watching the sun come up and conducting the ceremony for Anzac Day. I thought: imagine how those young lads felt being in that rubber plantation and being fired upon as they were on patrol.

I would also like to take this opportunity to give thanks to all those who aid and assist veterans through their civilian lives here in the Australian community. All of us have RSLs within our electorates and have connections to those RSLs. As I go round my electorate and visit the numerous RSLs, such as the Henley and Grange RSL, the Plympton Glenelg RSL and the Hilton RSL, I see first-hand the services they offer to a lot of the Vietnam vets. A lot of those RSLs today are run by Vietnam veterans; the presidents, the secretaries and the welfare officers are all Vietnam vets. Local RSLs play a wonderful role in the lives of those veterans and the Vietnam veterans in particular.

I would also like to give a special mention to the Vietnam Veterans Association in South Australia, who deserve special recognition. The amount of voluntary work that they do in South Australia, giving 24/7 service by phone or in person, is truly remarkable. It is absolutely tremendous assistance in the alleviation of the ongoing suffering that many of our veterans still endure today. Nobody knows the thoughts and feelings of a veteran better than another veteran, and the fact that there are veterans out there who are willing and able to serve their fellow veterans in itself deserves recognition, thanks and support from all of us. A group of members of the South Australian branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association go back regularly to Vietnam, where there is a particular orphanage, the Baria orphanage in South Vietnam, that they sponsor and support. You can see a lot of this sort of good work going on today in Vietnam, as many Vietnam vets go back to visit the places where they were and want to contribute something to those communities. This year, I was with some of them, and they were welcomed with open arms by the local community.

I would like to conclude simply by conveying my deep and profound respect to all Vietnam veterans—those who lost their lives and those who had their lives irrevocably changed by their service to this nation. Lest we forget.

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