Monday 18 August was an important day for many locations across Australia, including my region of Hinkler.
Vietnam Veterans’ Day is commemorated on the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, which took place in 1966.
Major services were held in Hervey Bay and Bundaberg, and I had the privilege of laying a wreath and speaking in the country town of Childers. The service was held at the site of a World War I Krupp 210-millimetre Howitzer cannon. You can’t miss it; it’s right in the middle of town.
The Isis RSL Sub Branch invited me to pay tribute and thank those who served in Vietnam, the ones who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today. As the federal member for Hinkler, I am forever proud to represent a region with a rich history of standing up and fighting for Australia.
Childers has always had stories to tell, from all conflicts. So many men and women from the rural community have served with pride. While the trauma is very real and the pain lives on, it is in moments of commemoration we come together to pause and reflect on the lives lost and the immense life-changing sacrifices made.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs nominal rolls record 255 Vietnam veterans from the Hinkler electorate. According to these accounts, 32 veterans came from Childers. That’s such a high representation for a country town. There were four veterans from Howard, two from Pialba, two from Bargara and 215 from Bundaberg.
The Vietnam Veterans’ Day service in Childers honoured the role that nurses played in the Vietnam War. The service of female nurses in the conflict is largely forgotten; this is despite their significant contribution.
Locally in Hinkler, as a community, much has been and is being done to rectify this. We are fortunate to have the Bundaberg War Nurses Memorial near the Bundaberg Base Hospital. While it honours those who served in the first and second world wars, in July of 2022 the Bundaberg District Women Veterans group ensured the names of nurses from my region who served in the Vietnam War were added.
Aussie nurses saved thousands of lives on both sides, routinely working 12-hour shifts, six days a week, despite earning only two-thirds of what equivalent male officers earned.
I’d sincerely like to thank the Isis RSL Sub Branch for hosting a memorable commemoration service and for ensuring that all who served in the Vietnam War are remembered now and forever.