Mal Brough (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I too congratulate you on your elevation to the chair. Clearly, the way you are already carrying out your duties demonstrates why you received the unanimous support of this chamber.

Yesterday I was delighted and honoured to be present at the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial here in the nation's capital. The Vietnam Veterans Association vice-president invited us to participate in yesterday's Long Tan day, and I thank Peter Ryan for that invitation. It was a moving occasion, as they always are, but it was also a poignant occasion because it gave me the opportunity to reflect on not only the deeds of the service men and women during the conflict of 1962 to 1975—to 1972 for Australian forces—but also the work that Vietnam veterans do throughout the country to this day.

Mr Speaker, I take you back to that time of protests in the late sixties and early seventies, and the legendary, infamous stories of service personnel not being able to wear their military uniforms in public for fear of being spat on or having disparaging comments thrown at them. As I sat there yesterday, we were addressed by two particular former Vietnam veterans: one of them was formerly a young Lieutenant Peter Cosgrove; the other was formerly a young Captain Michael Jeffery. Who would have thought in the late sixties and early seventies—in all that turmoil, with the disparaging, unfortunate and disgraceful way in which some members of the Australian public spoke about and addressed our returned servicemen—that two of those young men would both go on to become Governor-General of our nation and serve our country so proudly. Major General Jeffery (Rtd), who spoke at the service yesterday, gave a magnificent speech, and I commended him for it at the time as well.

It was D Company 6RAR, led by Major Harry Smith, that was caught in that rainy day at the rubber plantation at Long Tan. I am very proud to say I was a member of that battalion, 6RAR, sometime later. I know just how deservedly their deeds of valour are remembered and richly valued.

Today, so many of those Vietnam veterans continue to play such an important part in our community, and I want to acknowledge some of them here tonight. First of all, Tony Dell, who was also a test cricketer for Australia, formed Stand Tall 4 PTS and campaigns for those who continue to suffer long-term negative impacts of their military service, particularly their active service. There are veterans like Ron Strong, up on the Sunshine Coast, who plays a pivotal role at the drop-in centre at Maroochydore, putting a hand out to other veterans.

There are three blokes who have been instrumental in opening the Mooloolaba Surf Club on Thursday mornings for Vietnam veterans. Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock, there will be Vietnam vets, families of Vietnam vets and, most importantly, young Iraq and Afghanistan veterans mixing as one in an informal environment, having a barbecue. Acka, or Ian Atkinson, Rick Brittain and Lewie Pattle are three of the key personnel who got that started, and I thank the Mooloolaba Surf Club for making the facility available. To see those veterans, in an informal, casual, Australian fashion, passing on their life experiences, their road—in some cases, to recovery—to the younger veterans is a thing to behold.

Up in the mountains, there is Steve Eaton, who only this year was awarded the OAM for services to the community. He is just one of many up that way, like Chris Brooker, who is also a recipient of the OAM, who keep the Vietnam veterans and service to community alive in everything they do. Barry Canton, a very good friend of mine and also a decorated Vietnam veteran, from Witta—who, sadly, has also known tragedy in his own family—are just some of the many people across the Sunshine Coast who lived duty first in the battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment, who lived service to country and who continue that service to country through service to community. Tonight I say thank you for what you did and thank you for what you are doing today.

Debate interrupted.

House adjourned at 20 : 00