LOCAL Vietnam veterans were honoured during Cohuna’s ANZAC Day commemorations with the dedication of a life-size marble statue of a soldier in combat uniform from that era.
Father John Tinkler, who was an Army chaplain during the 13-year conflict that saw close to 60,000 Australian troops serve in the Asian country, officially dedicated the memorial during the traditional morning service.
More than 400 people gathered on the lawn adjacent to the Cohuna Memorial Hall for the event, which included the laying of wreaths and the sounding of The Last Post.
“This statue is dedicated to the wonderful men and women of Cohuna who sacrificed their lives for all Australians,” he said.
The statue, produced in Vietnam, was made possible thanks to a donation from Sonia Wright and her family in honour of her father, Alan Cooke, who served in Vietnam and took part in the Cohuna commemorations.
“This is a special day for our family, as it is the first time my father has marched in an ANZAC Day service since returning home from Vietnam in 1968,” the Gannawarra shire councillor said.
“Our family only found out two years ago that my dad was smuggled out of Vietnam during the middle of the night, and when we wanted to march during the next ANZAC Day service he was told by a World War Two veteran that he was ‘not welcome’.”
Prior to the service, a large group of Vietnam veterans from throughout the region joined local Returned and Services League members, descendants of those who have served in past conflicts and community group members for the annual march along King George Street.
The high attendance rate of Vietnam veterans is in stark contrast to the number of those who took part in the years following the conflict between North Vietnam and the southern Vietnamese, backed by United States and Australian soldiers.
The majority of those who served did so after being selected through a lottery system, and after returning home, found that the community they had called home prior to leaving did not recognise their efforts.
It took 12 years of lobbying for veterans to be recognised, with a welcome home parade held in Sydney in 1987.
Despite the battle to receive recognition, Fr Tinkler said to those who attended Tuesday’s service that those who served in Vietnam displayed the same traits as the servicemen and women who came before them during conflicts at Gallipoli and the Western Front of World War One as well as Europe and the battle that engulfed the Pacific in World War Two.
“I believe the Australian Army’s motto should be ‘have a mate, be a mate’, as you can never have too many mates in Australia,” he said.
Earlier in the day, wet weather did not stop a large crowd from attending the traditional dawn service at the town’s cenotaph.
“It was raining as we were setting up for the dawn service, but we decided to proceed with the service at the Cenotaph rather than inside, no matter what the weather was,” Cohuna/Leitchville Returned and Services League sub-branch president, Geoff Dale said.
