Fifty years ago last Thursday, Yarrawonga Mulwala RSL Sub-Branch Immediate Past President Secretary Ian Cummins attended his first Vietnam Veterans Day ceremony at Puckapunyal as a veteran.
Still serving in the Army at the time, a young Ian had returned from Vietnam six months beforehand and has always remembered that day in 1971 because it reminded him of “the one constant” throughout the Vietnam War 1962 – 1972 “the one constant that many of you here today recall from that war”.
“And that one constant was the uncommon valour of Australians from every corner of this country. They were the quiet heroes, the quiet heroes of our time,” Mr Cummins said.
“Some of these veterans are here today and names of many more are memorialised on honour boards around the country.”
Last Thursday, August 18, 20 locals gathered at ClubMulwala’s wall memorial to commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day, honouring those veterans who served and returned, and to those who gave the supreme sacrifice. Mr Cummins named the local veterans who are no longer with us: Tony Holland, Tony Nieuwenhout OAM, Ray Frauenfelder, Peter Shalders and Kevin Andrews.
“Today reminds us that we must never take the security of our country for granted, ever,” the RSL Sub-Branch Immediate Past President said. “And we must always question our policies that send our citizens to war because our nation’s policies must always be worthy – worthy of the sacrifices we ask of men and women who defend our country.”
Mr Cummins, who is Cobram Yarrawonga Legacy President, encouraged the celebration of our troops, our veterans, their families by telling stories that inspire us all, “generation after generation” to lead to others understanding what these men and women have done for our country. “We are an exclusive club and no-one can take that away from us,” he commented about the Vietnam Veterans.
Yarrawonga Mulwala have 14 surviving Vietnam Veterans and five Vietnam widows are looked after by Cobram Yarrawonga Legacy.
At the start and conclusion of last Thursday’s commemoration service, The Royal Hymn and the National Anthem of Australia were sung with a golden voice by recently turned 88-year-old John Duncan.