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On the 18th of August 2004 the Vietnam Veterans Club of Broken Hill
opened their Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Two Hueys from 171 Squadron come from Oakey with eight crew members to do a fly past.
One of the Hueys had served in Vietnam.
This wide
shot of the Broken Hll Vietnam Veterans Memorial shows that it is surmounted
with a replica of the Long Tan Cross, with a plaque underneath explaining
the story of Long Tan. The emblems of the
Royal Australian Navy, the Army and the Royal Australian Air Force pay
tribute to the Services.
Future
planning includes the fitting of two further plaques to
tell the story of the Vietnam War and those who
served.
The
Catafalque Party for the opening was from the 10/27
Battalion of The Royal South Australian Regiment (RSAR)
using the 7.62mm L1A1 Self Loading Rifle (SLR) as used during the Vietnam
era rather than the 5.56mm Steyer.
The money to
build the memorial was raised locally to meet the cost of about $8,000. The Broken Hill Vietnam Veterans also raised a fund that will look after the wall forever. The fund
will be handed over to and managed by the Broken Hill Council
when the veterans feel that they are too old to look after it themselves. |
