Sixty years ago this week, 108 Australian and New Zealand soldiers walked into a rubber plantation near Long Tan and met more than two thousand enemy troops in a monsoon downpour. They held their ground for three and a half hours. It became tone of the defining battles of Australia’s war in Vietnam, and 18 August has been observed as Vietnam Veterans Day ever since.
Earlier this week, at the Currumbin Palm Beach RSL Sub Branch on the Gold Coast, veteran Peter Scott delivered the keynote address marking the 60th anniversary. It is a remarkable piece of oratory: part history lesson, part roll call, part reckoning. He names the members in the room who were there – at Long Tan, at Operation Bribie, at Coral-Balmoral, in the barrier minefield that inspired I Was Only 19. He acknowledges the Vietnamese families who, like ours, still carry their loss. And he closes with a challenge to the nation: if governments are not prepared to support veterans when they come home, they should not deploy them in the first place.
Peter has generously agreed to share his speech with The Carousel. We publish it here in full, as it was delivered.
Keynote Address by Peter Scott
Vietnam Veterans Day 2026 – Currumbin Palm Beach RSL Sub Branch
“I saw a rain and sweat-drenched man in green, Laden like a pack mule, aged twenty one, going on fifty, Cutting his way through the jungle by day, to attack the enemy, Then laying all night in paddy fields, or on a trail, in ambush.”
(Colin Khan DSO)
The Battle of Long Tan
60 years ago today, Australian soldiers wrote another chapter in the history of warfare.
Far from the shores of Gallipoli. Far from the deserts of North Africa.
The battleground was a monsoon-drenched rubber plantation in Vietnam, a country that 1960s Australia knew very little about.
Soldiers of D Company 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, with three Kiwi Artillery forward observers, were caught up in an epic battle, against over two thousand well trained Communist Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army soldiers.
In a monsoon downpour, with poor radio communications, and muddied weapons, they fought a desperate battle for 3 and a 1/2 hours near a place called Long Tan.
They took heavy casualties, but held their ground, due to three vital supporting elements.
Firstly, Australian and New Zealand artillery support from the guns at Nui Dat, whose shells fell on the battle ground and amongst the enemy positions with great accuracy and purpose.
Secondly, 9 Squadron RAAF. In torrential rain, and almost zero visibility, the crews of two Iroquois helicopters dropped a desperately needed resupply of ammunition for the infantry rifles and machine guns.
Thirdly the Cavalry. 3 Troop, 1 Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron, moved into the battle-ground just as daylight was fading.
The sounds of the roaring APC engines and 50 calibre machine guns was enough to cause the enemy to break off the battle and withdraw, having suffered terrible casualties.
The Battle of Long Tan demonstrated the capability and teamwork of the Australian joint forces, and their decisive leadership.
Operation Bribie
The Communists had another big crack six months later during Operation Bribie, this time at Lang Phouc Hai, towards the beach on the northern side of the Long Hai Mountains.
Operation Bribie was a brutal, single day engagement, again involving 6 RAR, 3 Cavalry Regiment, Artillery and 9 Squadron.
We acknowledge here today the exceptional bravery of our esteemed member Mr Gary Chad, who was recently awarded the Medal for Gallantry for his actions on that day.
Tet and Coral-Balmoral
The War went on. In early 1968, the enemy mounted their Tet Offensive, an uprising at the start of the Year of the Monkey.
The Australians at Fire Support Base Andersen in Bien Hoa Province, were attacked with massive mortar and rocket barrages, with 7 Australians and one American lost in what was a precursor to Coral-Balmoral just 3 months later.
The battle of Coral-Balmoral became Australia’s largest, longest and bloodiest fight of the war, with 25 soldiers lost in one month of ongoing fighting.
Fire Support Base Coral was struck by a massive enemy attack, and, in brutal hand-to-hand combat, one of the Artillery guns was overrun by the enemy at one stage.
Fire Support Base Balmoral was then set up and, for the first time, was supported, with great success by Centurian Tanks of 1 Armoured Regiment.
We acknowledge here today, our esteemed member Mr John Taylor, a veteran of the fierce fighting at Coral-Balmoral.
Also, Mr Bob Mc Namara, whose vital tasks included delivering howitzer shells, food, and water to the bases, along roads that were often attacked by Viet Cong, and often booby-trapped with anti-vehicle land mines.
Similarly, we acknowledge our late member Mr Richard Spry, who was attacked by Viet Cong forces while transporting essential supplies.
We must also acknowledge the recently awarded Victoria Cross for Australia, to the late Private Richard Norden 1st Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment, more than 50 years after his death, for his gallantry in the recovery of his mates under enemy fire.
The Royal Australian Air Force
The RAAF was integral to Australia’s success in the Vietnam War.
Nine Squadron operated not only tactical flights, but also more than 4,300 dustoff medical evacuations from crude jungle landing zones to field hospitals. The tenacity of the crews, especially the combat medics, was outstanding.
35 Squadron, or Wallaby Airlines, transported troops and equipment in their iconic Caribou aircraft.
37 Squadron C130 Hercules provided long range aeromedical evacuations of sick and wounded personnel out of Vietnam, attended by specialist RAAF nurses.
2 Squadron RAAF, with its Canberra jet bombers, based out of Phan Rang Bay, provided highly efficient support to the US Air Force.
Our esteemed late member Mr Bruce Fahey AM, helped keep the 2 Squadron bombers flying.
The Royal Australian Navy
We acknowledge our esteemed Navy members who served with great distinction during the Vietnam War.
Australia’s fighting force was significantly enhanced by gunnery support from the Royal Australian Navy ships on the Gun Line off Vietnam,
By support from the RAN Helicopter Flight,
By support from Clearance Divers, both Ships Divers and Clearance Diving Team 3.
And the crew of HMAS Sydney, the Vung Tau Ferry, transporting troops and supplies to and from Vietnam.
The Troops on the Ground
Returning to the Troops on the ground, there are so many no-less important units and actions, that played a vital part in the success of the Australian Force Vietnam, and who took significant casualties.
For example,
- 161 Independent Reconnaissance Squadron – Army Aviation
- RAEME, Signals, Ordnance, Intelligence, Nurses, Red Cross and Padres, to name but a few.
Outside of the Task Force structure, the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam was an elite, highly decorated unit of military advisors which operated from 1962 to 1972.
And we acknowledge our esteemed member Mr Ray Heathcote SAS, as part the AATTV in central Vietnam, up near Hue.
Conscription
Mention must be made of the fact that the Australian Government conscripted, by a ballot, young men aged 20 years, to fight in the Vietnam War. Over 18,000 were sent to boost Regular Army numbers.
200 young conscripts were killed in action, with 1 thousand 2 hundred more wounded.
One of the conscripts was our esteemed member Mr Normie Rowe AM.
Normie was allocated to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, one of the most dangerous places to be in the Vietnam War.
The Tragedy of the Barrier Minefield
A Task Force Commander decided, against professional military advice, to lay 21,000 American made jumping jack land mines as a supposed barrier to keep the enemy out.
The only trouble was that the Viet Cong were already in the villages inside of the minefield.
The enemy then dug up many of the mines, to re-use them against the Australian troops.
You might know the song I WAS ONLY 19 which told of a major incident involving these very landmines.
We have with us here today, Mr Dave Sturmer, one of the combat engineers caught up in that dreadful incident.
When the land mines were tripped by Infantry, Dave and his team leader Corporal Phil Baxter, MM, were close by, and were hit by shrapnel from the exploding mines.
Putting aside their own injuries, these soldiers cleared and marked safe lanes out of the chaos, and cleared a landing zone for the incoming medivac helicopters.
The Americans
Australian Forces served under overall US Command, and we acknowledge here today, one of our members, Lieutenant Dan Tyler, Pilot, US Air Cavalry.
60 Years On
And so, 60 years on, what can we say about the Vietnam War, a war opposed by so many within our society.
Foremost, we will never forget those within our ranks who stood beside us, faced hardship and danger, and by the path of duty, passed out of our sight.
For we still see their faces and we still hear their voices.
We understand the sorrow that their passing brought, and still brings, to their families. We think of the mothers, the fathers, the wives, the partners, and the children who were left behind.
We also acknowledge that the war also brought suffering to Vietnamese people, and that their families, like our families, still feel an enduring loss.
Our Younger Veterans
We are grateful that our service in Vietnam has been acknowledged, but it is time to move to place emphasis on our younger veterans.
We worry about the health and welfare of these younger veterans, especially those from within the Special Forces community, and assure them of our support.
Governments must respect and support the warriors they send to battlefields to protect our interests and to help drive out tyranny.
Despite Australia’s best efforts, that tyranny still exists in Afghanistan today.
If Governments are not prepared to support Veterans when they return home, they should not deploy them in the first place.
It’s time for us to observe a Middle East Area of Operations Commemorative Day, and I commend that idea to you.
Our younger veterans deserve that full and proper recognition, sooner, rather than later.
Thank you all, for being here with us here today.
Keynote address delivered by Peter Scott on Vietnam Veteran’s Day on 18th August, 2026 at the Currumbin Palm Beach RSL Sub Branch, Vietnam Veterans Day 2026. Published with permission.
