Dandenong Ranges RSL vice-president Peter Rickard, 64, and World War II veteran Kevin Dowsey, 83, will be among those paying tribute on Remembrance Day. 56250
By Russell Bennett
His role was to be a forward scout for the solders on the ground, putting him in constant danger.
“He didn’t have any issue whatsoever with that or with going over there,” Mr Rickard said.
“He was just that sort of kid.”
Mr Rickard was a sailor aboard HMAS Brisbane, a destroyer attached to the United States’ 7th fleet.
It was sent to the war specifically to bombard targets along the Vietnam coastline.
“When I was up there, I actually got the chance to see my brother,” Mr Rickard said.
“We got choppered out from the ship to the base at Nui Dat and I stayed the night there.
“He was out in the bush and came in the next day.
“I said to him, ‘you don’t smell too good’.
“He said ‘well we’ve been out in the bush for a week and I haven’t even had the chance to take my boots off’.”
Mr Rickard said his brother’s time in the service had “a pretty big impact” on him.
“He never really settled in when he came back.”
Mr Rickard said war affected every soldier differently.
“And a lot of it was the way they were treated,” he said.
“The fellows who came back from the first and second world wars were treated as heroes but these blokes were treated badly because Vietnam was so unpopular.
“The RSL did nothing for them and the government did nothing for them.
“A lot of people would say to the vets ‘well you didn’t have to be there’, but it’s not as simple as that.”
A welcome back ceremony was finally held for Vietnam veterans in the 1980s.
“Everybody realised how poorly those guys were treated when they first came back,” Mr Rickard said.
“The American and Australian governments knew they weren’t going to win the war years before it ended but they wanted to get out with honour.”
“They didn’t want to be defeated.”
Mr Rickard said he hoped Remembrance Day would provide the public with the chance to celebrate Vietnam veterans for all they endured, both during the war and after it finished.
“520 Australians died in Vietnam,” he said.
“They have every right to be held in the highest esteem, just like their predecessors from earlier battles.”
Mr Rickard said Vietnam veterans had historically stayed away from the RSL but he was doing everything he could to bring them in. “They’re most welcome at our sub-branch, as I’m sure they would be right across the country.”
Anyone interested in joining the Dandenong Ranges RSL can call secretary Keith Baker on 0418 147 315 or visit www.dandenongranges.rslvic.com.au.
