On Tuesday 19th February 2019 the RAR Association SA conducted a combined units commemorative service for the Battle of Hat Dich (3 December 1968 to 19 February 1969).

The Service was very well supported by the 1st Armoured Regiment and attended by various members of State Parliament and the Mayor of Burnside Council, Anne Monceaux, who has been very supportive of the RARA SA.  The Service was organised by Mr Ceremonial, Adrian Craig, and Russell Campbell was the Master of Ceremonies.

Below are a number of photos of the Service, as always, click on the photo for more detail.

Members and Friends of the RARA SA.

On Friday 5 April 2019, we will commence our Major Events with yet another successful Greek Night!  Courtesy of Tim Karasoulos and family.

I have posted a number of videos on Youtube of film that I took on 6RAR’s second tour in 1969-70. Each video is about 5 minutes long.  There is no commentary, just appropriate sounds of aircraft/guns/armour and background music. I originally did these for the National Vietnam Veterans Museum so they could be used on a free standing TV operated by the viewer alongside the museum item on display (eg, film of guns firing next to a 105mm howitzer).

One special film is when I went on a flight with Jade 8 (between operations) and witnessed an airstrike by Canberra bombers from the air. Years later after contacting Chris in Texas, he said he had taped the cockpit conversations between the Forward Air Controller (himself) and a flight of Canberra bombers on a similar airstrike. I have included that to add to the authenticity. I believe the film of the bombs dropping from the Canberra is unique in that can only be done from the perspective of a Forward Air Controller.

Vietnam War Aussie Armour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FATinuPC4Aw

Vietnam War Aussie Artillery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7mDAMNvPYY

Vietnam War Aussie Airstrike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au0W75-aTOs

Vietnam War Aussie Infantry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9tpxCqskFE

Vietnam War Aussie Hueys    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtoTbN3BHhI

Vietnam War Aussie Navy      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdS926B_xVU

Vietnam War Aussie R&C Vung Tau https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdAe0lZhSnM

MEDIA EMAIL ADDRESS BY STATE

DFRDB DOT POINT SUMMARY

Your contacts in the Vietnam veteran community have an opportunity to record personal stories for the future.  Can I ask you to put the question and encourage stories to be told.

The Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia is working towards the production of a record of our history.  We need your stories! A book on the war is in the works, thanks to a top Australian publisher.

And we need your stories, yarns, reflections, anecdotes and more to make it be the book we aim for. This book will tell the history of the war under the working title of “Our Vietnam, Heroes, The People, The Stories & the facts”

Any stories funny or wry, sad or sombre, offering insights, untold tales and thoughts that reflect what the 50,000 Aussies who went to Vietnam went through.

Many histories are told through the memories of top brass and we want a dinkum account that as near as possible captures the spirit of Vietnam Diggers as the war retreats from the memory of some people, but remains alive to so many others. We want to preserve those memories forever in the best way possible.

Send your stories to the Editor V.V.A.A. Debrief, at debrief@vvaa.org.au aim for up to 1000 words, and they will be forwarded to the publisher.

Ken Foster OAM JP

Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia

National President

There are strong reasons to support this campaign.

https://chuffed.org/project/protecting-the-rar

Duty First

This is the current issue of the Infantryman

Infantryman December 2018 FINAL

Below for August 2018

Infantryman August

Below for March 2018

Infantryman final 2 March 2018

Below is December 2017

Infantryman December 2017 Dec 4

Below is the August 2017 issue

Infantryman August 2017

We had a very successful and entertaining party with guests and members enjoying the display provided by Ken Duthie, the jocularity of Rod Graham and historical perspective provided by Fred Fairhead.

Attached is the address given by Fred and a copy of the handout provided for all attendees.

RAR 70th Address

RAR Postcard

Here is a copy of the 2nd edition of A Duty Done;

A Duty Done 2nd Ed

Here is the latest Holdfast. 

 http://tunnelrats.com.au/pdfs/newsletters/Holdfast-32.pdf

Yet again, a highly enjoyable and successful Dinner with fabulous food, great friends and wonderful comradeship.

A selection of photos below

Greek Night – 4 May 18.

A highly successful evening with more than 65 guests enjoying a feast provided by Tim, Tas, Con & Sia.

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What a great afternoon of eating drinking and generally making merry with wonderful friends along with our two very learned wine experts in William Smidmore and Mike von Berg.  Of course without the wonderful team of workers who made it all happen and come together  and of course the Caterers who did a fabulous job and making life a little easier for the team – if I mention names then sure as eggs somebody will be left out and we cannot let that happen.    

So a great day had by all. Cheers. Mrs. Vice (aka Lynn Graham)

And photos – courtesy of Penelope & Bruce Forster – below, as always, click on photos for better viewing and captions.

Here are a few photos of our highly successful dinner.  As always, by selecting a photo you will be able to view a better photo as well as the caption for it.

And some nostalgic memories of our May 2013 Regimental Dinner

Click on the image for improved viewing, 1967 I think.

Join Army

Please view the latest news on the RCB campaign here RCB Update

There is an extensive history to this campaign under the Advocacy tab (above).

The Casualty List has been off line for some time, here it is revived.

Note by clicking on the sub-headings, unit or coy/pl for example, you can then filter your searches.

http://www.thecasualtylist.com/

Here is the April 2017 edition Infantryman April 2017

You can view the November 2016 edition here Infantryman November final 16.11.2016

the August 2016 edition here Infantryman August

and the April 2016 edition here Infantryman+April+2016

There are numerous excellent articles and a list of activities at HQ for the foreseeable future.

Archived Infantryman are under the Infantryman tab.

Courtesy of the 5RAR website, here is some historical information which may help revive a number of fading memories

http://www.5rar.asn.au/history/information-book-for-nashos.pdf

An interesting article concerning Jock Buchan, KIA 11 December 1969, his ashes found in Scotland!

You can read it here  Buchan Article

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Further to the above article, comments and a link from Paul Jackson, Jock’s Platoon Commander.

Hi Fred, 

What a special journey. It is hard to believe that after almost 50 years we have finally completed Jock’s story. We have come so far over the past year or so. A little over 12 months ago those involved in the action, Jock’s closest mates, did not even know where his body had gone after watching him being wrapped in a hutchie, tied on to a jungle penetrator and then winched slowly up to the hovering Dustoff chopper. Due to the tireless and dedicated work of a group of committed brothers-in-arms, Jock’s sacrifice has now been properly recognised, first with a Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial and now with your special service at his gravesite in far off Scotland. 

Most of you reading this email would not be aware that Jock Buchan’s death holds a very special place in our Vietnam war history. On the day of the action, an official Army photographer was moving with the company and took a series of photographs immediately after the contact. Of the many thousands of photographs taken during the Vietnam War, these are the only ones that actually record the death of an Australian soldier. For this reason I believe that Jock’s death has become symbolic of all those Australians who lost their lives in that conflict. Too graphic and politically sensitive to be publicly released at the time, the images are a poignant reminder of the human cost of war. 

The importance of this series of photographs is also well recognised by the AWM who have been corresponding with me recently seeking help identifying other members of the platoon captured in those iconic images. With your agreement Fred I would like to send your article to the Head Curator, Photographs, Film and Sound at the AWM. She has already expressed interest in the Dundee ceremony. I believe that this would also be an appropriate place for ‘Jock’s Story’ to be recorded.   

On behalf of all Jock’s 12 Platoon brothers, well done and thank you. 

Regards 

Paul 

ps For those interested, the AWM link to those photographs is attached below: 

https://www.awm.gov.au/search/all/?query=11+december+1969&submit=&op=Search&format=list&section%5B0%5D=collections&filter%5Btype%5D=Photograph