VIETNAM veterans were guests of honour at a mayoral reception held at the Casey civic centre to recognise the 40th anniversary of the Long Tan battle and to recognise the contribution of soldiers who served in Vietnam.
Casey mayor Kevin Bradford said the work of Australian soldiers in Vietnam was another confirmation of the bravery, tenacity, determination, skill, and perseverance of our servicemen and women.
“Their achievements in Vietnam raised the bar again and set standards for modern soldiers.
“Since Vietnam, in almost every conflict entered by Australian forces, our soldiers have been assigned the more difficult and strategic jobs.”
He said that 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 the commemoration of Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War.
He said 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 picked up from the passing veterans of the older wars to maintain 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. Jim Mynard
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