David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like many of us, I attended a Vietnam Veterans' Day memorial ceremony at the RSL club in Taree. The Vietnam War was Australia's longest military engagement in the 20th century and started with the training unit, but it went through to full battle operations. By the time the war had ended, 60,000 Australian service men and women had served. Tragically, 521 of them died and 3,000 were wounded. Today, many of those veterans still carry the mental burdens, as well as the physical problems, that they inherited as a result of their service. They've relied on the Vietnam Veterans' Association, the RSL, Soldier On, their family and their friends. The whole message is that we should never forget their service.

Today, I would like to bring to the attention of the House the individual stories of sacrifice of six sons of the Manning Valley who served and never returned. First of all, Captain Robert Bruce Milligan, aged 30, of Taree, joined the Army aged 19 and graduated from officer cadet school as dux of his class at Portsea. Bob, as he was known, served as a lieutenant with the Pacific Islands Regiment in Papua New Guinea. He was second in command of C Company, 5th battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment. On the morning of 14 February, he was unfortunately killed by a landmine. Second Lieutenant Kerry Patrick Rinkin, aged 21, also of Taree, was a bank clerk who graduated from the Officer Training Unit at Scheyville, six months after call-up, in June 1965. He was a platoon commander and transferred to the regular Army midway through his national service in 1966. He served with the 5th RAR in Vietnam, where he was wounded by a mine blast in April 1967 and died of his wounds subsequently at the 2nd Field Ambulance at Vung Tau. Private Alan John Wallace, also 21, was an apprentice railway fireman when he answered the call. He was posted to the 1st RAR and was killed on 16 May 1968 during enemy attacks on the Fire Support Base Coral at Bien Hoa Province. Sapper Peter John Bramble, also 21, of Taree, was a plant operator when he was called up. He was a sapper in the 1st Field Squadron and he died of his wounds from a mine explosion in Phuoc Tuy Province on 22 May 1969. Lance Corporal Michael Paul White, another young man in his prime at age 20, was born in Cronulla but was from Taree when he entered service. He followed his two older brothers into service and was wounded, also in Bien Hoa Province, on 1 November 1969 and died 24 days later. Last of all, I mention Private Arthur John Gibson, aged 27 of Taree, who also served and died. Thank you. (Time expired)I