More than 30 members and guests attended today’s special Anzac Day lunch at which our speakers were Rob Edgell, President, and Jim Dewar, Secretary, of the Victorian Branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association’s Education Team.Anzac Day lunch 26 April
The Club has been privileged to have some very interesting speakers in recent months and today was no exception. Rob and Jim shared their experience as young infantrymen in the 7th Battalion Royal Victorian Regiment fighting in Vietnam.
Rob was only 19 when he went to Vietnam, the minimum age for Australians to be sent to a war zone. He was a forward scout in a reconnaissance platoon. Jim was a platoon signaller. They told us about life on patrols which could last from one to several days. You had to carry all your rations and water as well as weapons and ammunition. Jim, being a signaller, carried 50 to 60 kilos of radio and other equipment. Existing on three or four hours sleep at night, always on the alert for Viet Cong, often wet through - it was hot, gruelling, uncomfortable and dangerous work. Being with and reliant on their mates helped sustain morale.
Both men suffered PTSD on their return, tho
ugh the condition was not well understood at that time and returning soldiers received no debriefing or counselling. They paid tribute to the army nurses who, apart from some entertainers, were the only female Australian service personnel. They displayed great bravery in tending to wounded soldiers, often in situations when their own lives were placed at risk. A source of genuine pride was that the Australian troops, unlike some of their allies, treated wounded enemy soldiers with compassion and provided them with medical care.
ugh the condition was not well understood at that time and returning soldiers received no debriefing or counselling. They paid tribute to the army nurses who, apart from some entertainers, were the only female Australian service personnel. They displayed great bravery in tending to wounded soldiers, often in situations when their own lives were placed at risk. A source of genuine pride was that the Australian troops, unlike some of their allies, treated wounded enemy soldiers with compassion and provided them with medical care. For those, like me, who were of conscription age at that time but for various reasons were not called up, it was fascinating to learn firsthand what it was like to serve in Vietnam. It was also a reminder of the shameful way in which many returned service personnel were treated: shunned by sections of society and even refused membership of the RSL for some years. Australia’s involvement in the war is largely seen these days as a tragic mistake, but those who served in Vietnam deserve the same consideration and respect as all other Australians who served in theatres of war regardless of whether, with the benefit of hindsight, Australia’s involvement in those wars was justified.
My thanks to Julie Clarke for organising the lunch, Sue Zidzuinas for arranging the speakers and acting as MC, Anne Scott for supplying the Gallipoli print placemats, a friend of Julie Clarke’s who knitted the poppies given to each of us, Cathie Irvin, the President of the Boroondara Branch of the CWA, for baking a delicious Anzac Biscuit for each of us, and Dr John Carre-Riddell for reciting the Anzac Remembrance Ode. John recommended that we read the moving poem from which the Ode is drawn, ‘For the Fallen’ by Laurence Binyon.
District 9800 Annual Conference
Eleven members and partners attended the first face-to-face District 9800 Conference for two years in Albury last weekend.
My report appears elsewhere in this Bulletin
What’s on at the Club
The Club’s vocational tour of the award winning Burwood Brickworks Shopping Complex will take place on Tuesday 10 May. Noel has written to members with details of the event and a link for booking will be sent out shortly. The cost of $20 will be donated to Rotary’s Ukrainian Refugee Fund
The Club’s home hosting event scheduled for Saturday 14 May has been cancelled due to lingering concerns with Covid. I hope we will be able to hold the event next year.
The ‘Bookworms’ will hold their bi-monthly meeting by Zoom on Monday 13 June. The book being discussed is Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club which is described as ‘A warm, wise and witty warning never to underestimate the elderly’. New bookworms are always welcome and you have six weeks to read the book so why not join us on 13 June.
The last vocational tour in the Current Rotary year will be on Tuesday 14 June when we will tour Rotary’s Disaster Aid Centre in Endeavor Hills, followed by a tour of the Australian Gardens in Cranbourne. More details will be available in coming weeks.
The Club’s final event for this year will be the Changeover Dinner which will be held on Saturday 25 June. This year’s event will be a combination of changeover to a new Board - to which we will be welcoming some new members - and continuity given that I will be embarking on my second year as President. This year’s dinner will have a black and white theme so as long as you wear some black and some white you have a choice of formal dinner wear or something a little more casual.
Our guest speakers at next week’s meeting will be Mikaela Stafrace MBA and Kerry Kornhauser OAM who will talk about the work of WomenCAN Australia and its work in supporting women to build their confidence, their connections, and work capability.
Until then, have a great week and I hope you stay safe and well.
President Andrew
Thought for the Week
Here is our second reflection during the runup to the Federal election on the strengths and vulnerabilities of democracy.
Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. - Winston Churchill