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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-06-04 Daily Xml
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BADCOE, MAJOR PETER

The Hon. P.L. WHITE (Taylor) (15:20): I rise to send a bouquet to our state Treasurer for his recent action in providing funding to secure for Australia and South Australia Major Peter Badcoe's Victoria Cross Medal. Major Peter Badcoe, who died in 1967 during the Vietnam conflict, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his valour, leadership and gallantry under fire during that conflict. He is particularly well loved by South Australians, being an Adelaide-born man, and he is particularly revered by the Vietnam Veterans Association of South Australia and specifically by the Northern Suburbs Sub-Branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association, and I will explain that link in a moment.

Major Peter John Badcoe, who was born Peter Badcock but changed his name by deed poll for fairly obvious reasons, was a man of extraordinary courage. When I read of his contribution to conflicts under fire—the way he stood out of his expected role, showed leadership, rescued mates and turned what I am told by veterans were situations of certain defeat into victory—I see that he was an amazing man.

I mentioned the link with the Northern Suburbs Sub-Branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association. The Vietnam Veterans Association opened its premises in the old DSTO complex (or where that complex used to be) just a couple of months ago. Both the Vietnam Veterans Association and the Ex-Military Rehabilitation Centre were recently opened with great pride by Governor Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce. It was a wonderful, wonderful day, and I had the opportunity to talk with Vietnam veterans of the northern suburbs about their experiences and about the work they do today.

I have visited with them on a few occasions, but I was reminded of what they do in the community for all sorts of people. Every Wednesday there is a lunch at the complex for the veterans and their families, where they have a guest speaker. A 15-seater bus collects some of the disabled veterans. They have pension officers for the veterans who are on the disability pension working on site. The services are also available to war widows from any conflict, not just the Vietnam conflict. They have some counselling on site, and they refer to other services in South Australia, and they get involved with a lot of fundraising activities and also activities for youth—youth of veterans and youth in the community.

They do things like restoration and provision of furniture and fittings for some of the domestic violence shelters in the area; there is a sausage sizzle in Salisbury every Friday to raise money; and they have a long distance walk for charity, which finishes at Montague Farm on Long Tan Day, and that money goes towards the education of children of the vets and the Daw Park Foundation.

Amazing things happen at the Ex-Military Rehabilitation Centre. They provide woodworking, and they have a gem club. They do bread runs for a lot of the various charities in the northern area; they have a recreation area; and they have a men's support group. They perform a lot of functions that people would be unaware of, but it provides a great service in the northern suburbs.

Time expired.

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