Shrine of Remembrance Melbourne – The service in pictures
by Belynda Kennedy, Jessica Walley, Zara Hastie
Children, veterans, soldiers and families quietly gathered at the Shrine of Remembrance to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War battle of Long Tan today in Melbourne.
On August 18, 1966, a battalion of 105 Australians and three New Zealanders entered the battle of Long Tan where they faced 2500 Viet Cong soldiers. Eighteen Australian soldiers died that day in the rubber plantation fields of South Vietnam.
The Shrine of Remembrance courtyard was bathed in sunlight and hand woven red poppies danced in the warm breeze. As the service began, heads bowed in prayer and attendees sang softly to the Australian Anthem.
The late cancellation of the 50th Anniversary commemoration at the Long Tan site in Vietnam has upset many veterans. More than 1000 people travelled overseas for the event.
“People have committed and made the effort, these people have been severely disadvantaged. I think, sadly, people might get negative thoughts about the government’s attitude.”
Peter Potocnik (below right)
“It’s a mark of respect for the guys not only who served and fought and died at Long Tan, but we lost later in events. We lost other members of our unit, other friends, and most of us from different units have lost someone what we do know or trained with or served with. Not always in such graphic situations, but they still didn’t come home.”
Peter Potocnik (above right)
“I’m here to commemorate with the infantry soldiers with the battle of Long Tan. I wasn’t in infantry, I was in artillery, but its very poignant day to celebrate them and support them in the great loss they had on that particular day. Eighteen soldiers. It was a terrible loss but they won and that’s the main thing.”
Richard Stevenson (pictured above and below)
“Its very sad, the fact that it’s political, it’s interfered with that commemoration, and the late notice was also ridiculous, considering over a thousand people went there to celebrate and honour the fallen. I think our government should be making it very clear to the Vietnamese officials that it is indeed very disappointing and inappropriate.”
Richard Stevenson (pictured above)
“We are here for Long Tan day, the day that Australia took war on the communist system.”
Nguyen Ngoc Dinh (pictured above)
“We are all Australian now.”
Ha (pictured above – second from left)
