Community & Business
29 June, 2023
Vietnam vigil set to honour fallen soldiers
LOCALS who wish to pay their respects and honour the soldiers who lost their lives during the Vietnam War are invited to attend Vietnam Veterans Vigils at multiple gravesides on 3 August.
This year on 18 August, Vietnam Veteran’s Day, the Australian Government seeks 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.
A service will take place in Canberra however as most Vietnam veterans and many others may be too old to travel down south to attend the ceremony, local graveside recognitions will be conducted instead.
The 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 Tablelands.
They are Private Leslie James Weston at the Atherton Rockley Road Cemetery, Sapper Robert Barclay Wilson buried at the Ravenshoe Cemetery and Corporal Raymond Bruce Weston who resides at the Mareeba Cemetery.
The vigil will begin at 11am on 3 August at each of the cemeteries.
National Servicemen’s Association Tableland Branch President John Hardy OAM said his organisation and local RSL Sub-branches are also 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 requested 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,” he said. “To date, 16 Tableland veterans are known in this category.”
Please supply information to Mr Hardy at john.hardy51@bigpond.com or phone Secretary Terry Edmondson 07 4095 4154 – information received will be passed on to the respective RSL Sub-branches.
