[Above] The bronze memorial, dedicated to
Marinko Tomas - said to be the first West
Australian killed in Vietnam.
The inscription reads:
MARINKO (TICH) TOMAS PARK
KILLED IN ACTION IN VIETNAM
8.7.1966
OPENED BY
HON. A.A. LEWIS, M.L.C.
5.3.1988
Right: Marinko 'Tich' Tomas.
The memorial is located near the Vasse highway,
and was donated by the Vietnamese community.
It was established as a Nannup bicentenial
project.
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This Vietnam Memorial is
located in Nannup, Western Australia, a small town
located 282 km from the state capital, Perth.
The memorial is in a park dedicated to Marinko
('Tich') Tomas, a 21 year old farmer from Manning
in WA. Tomas was called up on 30 June 1965,
and was a Lance Corporal with the 5th Battalion of
the Royal Australian Regiment (5 RAR). He
had been in Vietnam less than a month when he was
killed on the 8th of July 1968 as a result of
shrapnel wounds to the back from friendly
artillery forces.
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