Community & Business
1 August, 2023
Services to honour Vietnam veterans
SERVICES to honour Vietnam Veterans will be held at three gravesites throughout the region simultaneously this Thursday, as they will be right around Australia.
The Vietnam Veterans Vigil will be held at Mareeba, Ravenshoe and Atherton at 11am on Thursday to mark 60 years since the arrival of the Australian Army Training team in South Vietnam on 3 August 1962 and 50 years since the withdrawal of combat troops in 1972.
At Mareeba, the service will be held at the graveside of Corporal Raymond Bruce Weston who died in Vietnam on 20 July 1971, while in Ravenshoe, the service will be held at the graveside of Sapper Robert Barclay Wilson who died on 16 July 1971.
In Atherton, the service will be held at the graveside of Private Leslie James Weston who died on 30 September 1967. Leslie is buried beside his father Frank Weston (2/24 Bn, 9 DIV), a World War II veteran (deceased 1971).
A national Commemorative Service will be held in Canberra, which will be televised by the ABC on the 18 August 2023 (Vietnam Veteran’s Day), but with many too old or frail to be able to attend this service, regional ceremonies were organised to give people the opportunity to participate in a meaningful way.
To that end, local graveside recognitions will be provided for two soldiers and an airman who lost their lives on active service in South Vietnam and are buried on the Atherton Tablelands.
While the intent is to visit the graves of all 523 KIA, a secondary aim is to visit the graves of all other Vietnam veterans, who have since died.
All RSL Sub-Branches and the National Servicemen’s Association on the Atherton Tablelands are attempting to collect the names of those Vietnam veterans who have passed away since returning home to Australia, so that a short but meaningful graveside service can be conducted in their honour.
Family members, friends and community members are being asked to advise the names of people who served in Vietnam and have since passed away so that they can be invited to share the occasion. Sixteen Tableland veterans are known in this category so far.
Information about others can be provided to National Servicemen’s Association Tableland Branch president, John Hardy OAM at email john.hardy51@bigpond.com or phone secretary Terry Edmondson 4095 4154.
Information received will be passed on in due course to the respective RSL Sub Branches.
Those attending the services on the Tablelands this Thursday should seek to be in place by 10.30am.
On completion of the Atherton commemorative service for Leslie Weston, it is anticipated that all those in attendance will move across the Kennedy Highway to the Veterans' Memorial wall in front of the Atherton Crematorium for a brief Last Post ceremony and wreath laying by various dignitaries.
Time has been allowed for relatives and friends, to visit graves of other Vietnam veterans who have died since their return to place wreaths.
Branch member Major Ian Rafferty (Retd) would like to be emailed any photographs taken of all wreaths being placed so that they can be sent to the national organisers for inclusion in a “virtual album”.
