By Jim Mynard
CASEY mayor Kevin Bradford said Australian soldiers in Vietnam confirmed the reputation of Australian service men and women for bravery, tenacity, determination, skill and perseverance.
Hosting a mayoral reception on Saturday 26 August to honour Vietnam veterans as part of the 40th anniversary of the Long Tan battle, Cr Bradford paid tribute to the contribution of soldiers who served in Vietnam.
He said that, since Vietnam, Australian soldiers have been assigned the more difficult and strategic jobs in almost every conflict entered by Australia.
“Their achievements in Vietnam raised the bar again and set standards for modern soldiers.
“Whatever opinion we hold over any war, we owe our service men and women our total support in the discharge of their duty.
“We owe our prayers for their safe return, and our support as they rejoin their families and communities,” he said.
Cr Bradford said the City of Casey was committed to commemorating Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War and the council was looking for a site to create a memorial in Casey to Vietnam soldiers.
Victorian RSL senior vice president Robert Webster said he brought the best wishes of the RSL to the gathering.
He said that as the Vietnam veterans came back into the community, they took over from the passing veterans of the older wars in maintaining the RSL.
He said there was a mateship among them where they looked after their mates and themselves.
“Most of us now are aged over the 60 mark and we need to keep our heads working by thinking and doing crosswords,” he said.
The veterans were each presented with a certificate of appreciation.
