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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-08-20 Daily Xml
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Vietnam Veterans Day

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (12:12): I move:

That this house—

(a) notes that Vietnam Veterans Day was commemorated on 18 August;

(b) expresses its gratitude to the almost 60,000 Australians who served during 10 years of involvement in the Vietnam War;

(c) reflects on the bravery, teamwork and endurance that Australians displayed through the war; and

(d) remembers the 523 Australians who tragically died during the conflict.

Vietnam Veterans Day, originally known as Long Tan Day, is commemorated on 18 August every year as it pays respect to those who were involved in the Battle of Long Tan in 1966. The Battle of Long Tan was the most significant moment in Australians' involvement in the war, but it came at a great cost: 18 personnel were killed and 24 were wounded, which marked the largest number of casualties in one operation since Australia's involvement in the war.

On 18 August 1966, 108 personnel of D Company, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, fought a heavily outnumbered battle against over 2,000 North Vietnamese and Vietcong troops. The battle took place for four hours in torrential rain, but against all the odds the Australians managed to prevail. Three years later, in 1969, D Company returned to Long Tan to erect a memorial cross for their fallen comrades.

In the years following, 18 August became synonymous with all Australians who served and died in the Vietnam War. In 1987, then Prime Minister Bob Hawke officially declared the day Vietnam Veterans Day. Sixty thousand Australians, including ground troops, Air Force and Navy personnel, served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1973; 2,400 were injured during this time. Sadly, as I indicated earlier, 523 lost their lives, and 59 of those lives lost were South Australian personnel.

Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War at the time was quite contentious and caused a lot of social and political tension. Protests were held and, as the death toll rose, the Australian public grew more uncomfortable about the country's involvement in the war. Sadly, this meant that Vietnam veterans were often the subject of negative public sentiment about the war, with many treated poorly upon their return to Australia. Instead of returning to cheers and applause, they were met with verbal and physical abuse, such as being spat on. They were even excluded from participating in ANZAC Day parades, as other veterans considered them unworthy of the tradition.

It took more than 10 years after their return from Vietnam for the veterans to be given the welcome they deserved. In 1987, a welcome home parade was held in honour of their service and sacrifices. Over 22,000 veterans marched through Sydney, with crowds amassing to more than 100,000. The Vietnam War was certainly an interesting time. Yes, there was political discussion, social discussion, as it was the first television war. I can remember as a child seeing it come through on the news reels—live footage of what was going on in Vietnam. Sadly, when these troops came home they were treated extremely poorly, to say the least.

Thankfully, that has long since changed. Vietnam veterans, as do any veterans, fight in difficult circumstances—circumstances that those of us in the civilian world really have no idea about, unless you were there. I sincerely take my hat off and salute every member of our forces, whether it be Air Force, Army or Navy, and every person who signs up for military service, who is willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice for those of us who stay at home. You cannot have a greater gift than that.

I will briefly talk about a man who is still alive in Murray Bridge, John Ali. He was a civilian contractor, I suppose. I have mentioned him in this place before. He was brought in to the office of Malcolm Fraser, the Minister for Defence at the time, along with I think three other colleagues, to work with International Harvester, to work with the military, to deliver trucks, unload trucks and trailers off at Sydney and take them through Vietnam to Cambodia. As far as I understand it, John is the last surviving member of this group. He served 18 months continuously doing the job that he was requested to do by the government as essentially a civilian mechanic working for International Harvester. He did his job diligently and he came under attack at times. I have heard stories where soldiers at the time might just be in a bar on a bit of R&R when a grenade was thrown in.

Despite John having an active service number and having made that vital contribution, as he was requested to by the government of the day, in what was realistically a secret operation, he has not been adequately recognised for his service. Despite myself and the member for Barker getting in touch with or contacting different federal veterans' ministers, we cannot get the message through that John should be entitled to the gold card, and I think that is actually outrageous.

This is a man who actually has a service number. Yes, he was a civilian, absolutely, but he is the only one left. For the price he paid, it is a very small request for this country to provide some recompense for his service, not only for him but for his wife and his family. We will keep pursuing that cause to hopefully get a result while John is still on this earth. I commend the Vietnam veterans, especially because of the reception they got when they came home. I note that, as time progressed, a lot of them were told to change into civvies so that they did not get abused when they came home, which I find utterly offensive. Let's just hope that that never ever happens again to those who serve.

I digress a little bit to think about the victory in the Pacific, which was commemorated recently as well, and the 80 years since it happened, after the fall of Japan, and think of all those service men and women who served this great country.

Getting back to Vietnam, it was great to attend a 9th Squadron event last Saturday at the Torrens Parade Ground, where a Huey helicopter flew overhead. Sadly, he could not come below 1,000 feet but as I heard the 'wop, wop, wop'—as they would have heard in Vietnam thousands of times as those chopper pilots either delivered men to the field or came to retrieve them in a dust-off operation or, sadly, to pick up fallen comrades—I really salute those pilots who did that extremely dangerous work. They are to be truly commended.

I note also the veterans' walk. I could not get to the opening of that walk between Coobowie and Edithburgh. It is a beautiful part of the world on Yorke Peninsula. I commend the veterans who established that walk in memory of veterans. I note that General Sir Peter Cosgrove was over there alongside many others to launch that project.

I return to Vietnam Veterans Day and commemorating the Battle of Long Tan, 59 years ago. It certainly invoked the ANZAC tradition, going back obviously to World War I, when a New Zealand gun crew mounted the batteries at Nui Dat to give some protection to our heavily outnumbered men on the battlefield. There were some hard decisions being made in the command about who to send out and what to do in defence of the situation. If it were not for that artillery—and it is reputed that they sent out 3,500 shells to defend those men, and that is alongside the crews that came out as well, in the armoured personnel carriers with 50-calibre machine guns mounted on top, to assist.

One of the highest moments of bravery was the two Huey pilots who, from what I understand, went against what they were told, went against orders, and loaded up with ammunition and dropped it directly near the men who were basically fighting for their lives. They were still fighting for their country, but they were fighting for survival, and the pilots dropped the ammunition right in place, right next to them, so that those who could would survive the day.

It is interesting to note that after the battle—on the next day, when the Army went back through, the other platoons went through, to assess what would happen and to retrieve, sadly, the bodies of those who had lost their lives—I believe there were at least two who were found alive. They could keep them alive and they brought them home.

It was a truly terrible war. We were there with the Americans and others as part of a situation, fighting for democracy, fighting alongside South Vietnamese, and doing our bit. I truly salute those who went in. I still find it odd when you look at the conditions they fought under: it was sort of going out from support bases like Nui Dat and flying out into an engagement, or patrolling to an engagement, and getting retrieved but not holding ground. It seems very odd, but that was more or less the way the Vietnam War was fought.

I truly salute everyone who served in that war. As we know, a lot of people were conscripted with a roll of the dice—

An honourable member interjecting:

Mr PEDERICK: The marbles, I am reminded. That was their luck of the draw, and a lot of those people sadly paid the ultimate sacrifice. Let's not forget those who returned home and the endless torment that lot of them have had since—the mental torment of what they saw and what they had to go through. I not only salute the veterans but I salute the nurses, the doctors and everyone who assisted them where they could. I truly salute everyone who serves this great country.

Ms O'HANLON (Dunstan) (12:27): I rise in support of this motion. In doing so, I want to honour the service and sacrifice of those Australians who served in Vietnam, as well as their families and the communities that have carried this history forward with dignity and care.

In fact, last night I had the pleasure of dining with a Vietnam veteran and his wife and family, and hearing the stories and hearing about the difficulties that even his wife faced in not hearing at all about her husband's welfare from Defence at the time. I have been thinking and reflecting on how much that has changed for me as the wife of a defence personnel and veteran.

Also on this past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the RSL Payneham Sub-Branch for their commemorative service for Vietnam Veterans Day, which they have early. Standing alongside veterans and their families, current serving military personnel, the proud young cadets who formed the catafalque party, and members of our community, I was struck by the quiet strength with which these men and women continue to carry their experiences. In speaking with them afterwards, I could see in them the stoic resilience, humour and humility that so often characterises those who have served. For many, the memories are still vivid and painful, yet they continue to share their story so that others may understand and remember.

Vietnam Veterans Day, observed on 18 August, is marked on the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, a moment etched into our military history. It is a day when we acknowledge the almost 60,000 Australians who served over a 10-year involvement in Vietnam. It is also a day when we remember the 523 Australians who never returned home and the more than 2,300 who were wounded.

The Vietnam War remains one of the most complex chapters in Australia's military story. Between 1962 and 1975, around 60,000 Australians served: approximately 42,000 in the Army, over 3,300 in the Navy and 4,400 in the Air Force. Each of them carried the weight of a conflict fought far from home, and many returned to a country that did not at the time recognise their service.

Today, we have a duty to ensure their contribution is not forgotten. Here in South Australia, the connections to that service run deep, with many local men and women deployed to Vietnam, and today we are home to a strong and proud Vietnamese community, people who fled the conflict and built new lives here. They have enriched our cultural and economic life and their presence is a reminder that the legacy of the war is measured not only in service and sacrifice but also in lives rebuilt and communities strengthened.

This humanitarian aspect was perhaps most vividly illustrated in Operation Babylift in April 1975 when orphaned and at-risk Vietnamese children were evacuated as Saigon fell. Among those children were some who would grow up here in South Australia, their lives forever linked with both Vietnam and Australia.

Last year, with my family, I travelled to Vietnam as a tourist. While there, my husband and I visited the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, where we were both deeply moved by the exhibits. In particular, the images and testimonies showing the harrowing effects of the conflict on innocent civilians were profoundly confronting. It was a sobering reminder that the cost of war extends far beyond the battlefield and that we must never forget the lessons of war: to value peace, to protect the vulnerable and to commit ourselves to preventing such suffering now and in the future.

Vietnam Veterans Day is therefore a moment to reflect not only on courage, endurance and sacrifice in war but also on the humanitarian legacies of conflict. We are fortunate in South Australia to have people and places dedicated to ensuring these stories live on. Bill Denny AM BM has been instrumental in this regard as a longstanding member of the Veterans' Advisory Council, founder of the Vietnam War Memorial and co-chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War Memorial fundraising committee. His work has enriched our collective remembrance, giving local community spaces to reflect and honour.

A particularly significant example of remembrance is the Vietnam War Memorial Walk in Edithburgh, which was officially opened this year on 18 August. This remarkable project stretches along the Walk the Yorke trail between Edithburgh and Coobowie. It features 29 detailed laser-cut signs and numerous bench seats, with every Australian unit that served in Vietnam represented. This is local vision made real by Roger Hogben and John Edwards, whose determination has created something of both local and national significance.

The South Australian government proudly contributed more than $15,000 in grant funding to support its completion. It is projects such as this that ensure remembrance is not an abstract idea but something tangible, a place where schoolchildren, families and future generations can learn and reflect.

When I think of Vietnam Veterans Day, I think of the men and women I meet each year at services such as at the Payneham RSL, people who answered the call of their country, who served with bravery and endurance and continue to serve by keeping memory alive. I also think of the Vietnamese Australians in our community who carry stories of displacement, resilience and renewal, and I think of the families, the wives, husbands, children and parents who bore the burden of separation, loss and return.

This motion allows us to say unequivocally that this house acknowledges and respects that service. We remember the 523 Australians who did not come home, we pay tribute to the tens of thousands who did, many carrying wounds both visible and invisible, and we give thanks for the lives that have been rebuilt and the communities that continue to honour and remember.

On Vietnam Veterans Day, and on every day that we encounter these men and women in our communities, we owe them more than gratitude—we owe them remembrance, respect and the assurance that their service will never be forgotten.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Stuart) (12:34): It is with great privilege that I speak on the motion of the member for Hammond regarding Vietnam Veterans Day. On 18 August each year, we as a nation pause to acknowledge and remember the great sacrifices that many Australians made while serving our country during the nation's 10-year involvement in the Vietnam War. Those 10 years were very traumatic and, in many cases, resulted in many deaths and long-term injuries. Some injuries were evident at the time upon returning to Australia after the war; however, there were lots of issues that came out for many of our gallant diggers that were not evident at the time they came back when the rest of Australia moved on from the war.

Several of my friends enlisted and many were also drafted in the marble lottery. If a marble was drawn that had your birthdate on it, then you were compelled to serve alongside others who might have also been regular soldiers who had enlisted of their own accord. Those in this category were conscripted. Many of them had only just started in new jobs or—as was the case for many—had just come out of school with very little knowledge or interest in military life.

When many of my mates came back, they were not welcomed back by the public. In many cases, those returning military personnel were shunned, and this caused great stress for those returning diggers and their families. These people were military people, whether they were soldiers, airmen or sailors, or whatever they may have been. They were following orders as do members of any military organisation. It was the federal government at the time that basically forced the war upon these people and Australia.

Vietnam Veterans Day is more than a date in our history. It marks the battle of Long Tan, fought on 18 August 1966 in the pouring rain of a South Vietnamese rubber plantation. It was here that 108 soldiers from Delta Company 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment faced a force of more than 2,000 Vietcong and North Vietnamese troops. For many hours, these men held their ground under intense fire and, by the end of the day, 18 Australians had been killed and 24 wounded. This was the costliest single battle for our forces in Vietnam and became a testament to their courage, their discipline and also their mateship.

On the third anniversary in 1969, veterans returned to the battlefield and erected the Long Tan cross—a simple memorial to those who died. So began Long Tan day. This grew over time to honour those who served in Vietnam. In 1987, the Prime Minister at the time Bob Hawke formally declared 18 August as Vietnam Veterans Day.

As has been mentioned earlier, more than 60,000 Australians served in Vietnam over the years; however, 523 never came home. It is those 523 that we must also remember, because they fought there and sacrificed their lives for us in Australia. Thousands more carried wounds, either visible or invisible, for many years. My late brother, Peter, served in the Australian Regular Army and served two tours of Vietnam on two occasions during this war. He retired after 26 years in the Regular Army, having reached the rank of captain.

I mentioned to the member for Narrunga a few minutes ago that during that time, my brother went on two tours. When he came back, he still had the memory and suffered the impact of what he saw over there. But he had the opportunity and he wanted to do it. He enlisted and he wanted to fight for the freedom of not only Australia but also other countries.

Many of my friends are still carrying the wounds of this war and they will never completely recover, especially those who to this day still carry the memories and the mental anguish. Many of my friends came back after being shunned by the general public, carrying these wounds and memories, and unfortunately a few have committed suicide because of the trauma. They have lost their families and lots of things. They never really recovered from what happened over there.

Our RSL in Port Pirie has a great military museum and in 2009 I was able to assist them in obtaining a Huey helicopter from Queensland. It is this piece of equipment that allows many who may still have the trauma of the war in their minds, and have not fully recovered, to sit in the cockpit. This allows them, with the noise of the background, to meditate for a few moments, and this assists them in their movement forward, recovering from the trauma of what has been troubling them for many, many years.

During my time as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, I had the honour of attending many services across all of South Australia, including the service of the South Vietnamese community, who are forever grateful to our gallant diggers for their services in South Vietnam and in the Vietnam War. If it were not for us, they would not have had the freedom that they do have today.

So on 18 August we remember not only the men of Long Tan but also the nurses, the pilots, the Navy, the support crews, the families and everyone who bore this burden of this war. As has been mentioned in this house earlier on—and I compliment the member for Hammond as the opposition's shadow minister for veterans' affairs—we have been to many occasions, and Vietnam Veterans Day is something that is bipartisan. We are all here to remember those people who gave their services.

My marble did not come out, so I do not have the knowledge or the trauma of having to serve in a war that I did not particularly agree with at the time but, as I said earlier, I have lost lots of my friends. When I was working at the smelters, lots of my friends had to leave their employment because they just could not maintain their attention. I still have friends who, when we go to Vietnam Veterans Day, want to talk about the old days. They want to talk about what they did and some of the things that happened. I find that that is something that is consoling for them. It helps them through the trauma. It helps them to live another day. Certainly, it has been one of those journeys in my personal life that I have seen.

As I said, my dad was in the Army, my brother was in the Army, my late brother was in Vietnam—he did two tours there in the Regular Army—and my uncles were in the war. We need to pay tribute to those people who gave the supreme sacrifice for what we have here today in Australia. In closing, I just say to all our Vietnam veterans: thank you for your courage, your service and your sacrifice. I commend the motion to the house.

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (12:42): Vietnam Veterans Day is always a solemn day in the electorate of Narungga, but it did take on a special meaning this year particularly. As has been mentioned already by a couple of speakers, we had the opening of the Vietnam War Memorial Walk in Edithburgh on Monday, and it was truly an extraordinary day. I drove down there not knowing exactly what to expect, but I can report that there were well over 1,000 people there, all there for the opening of the memorial walk, which was truly an incredible sight to behold and one which should give the proponents a great deal of joy after having seen it come to fruition.

Those proponents who have already been mentioned, of course, are Roger Hogben and John Edwards, and they have done an extraordinary job bringing this vision to life. I remember meeting with them right at the start, and they brought this vision to me. It was, in my view, pie in the sky sort of stuff. It was a really ambitious target that they had set for themselves, and it is really pleasing to see them having delivered it and seen it the whole way through.

We would all see, I think, as members of parliament, people who bring really good meritorious ideas to us for community initiatives or infrastructure but inevitably find themselves stymied by bureaucratic interference and obstacles. It happens regularly where people with good ideas are stymied just through the war of attrition that is placed upon them. This makes the achievement that John and Roger have delivered all the more extraordinary.

In basically two years, they have gone from go to whoa and delivered this walk between Coobowie and Edithburgh and had tremendous success the entire way through in seeking support from the various departments and benefactors to make sure that it happened. Congratulations to John and Roger. I think I got off lightly, based on the speeches we heard on the day. I reckon they only called in to see me 10 or a dozen times. It sounded like quite a few other people had quite a few more annoyances than I did, but credit to them for making sure that it was delivered.

On the day, we gathered in Edithburgh to celebrate the opening. We heard from Sir Peter Cosgrove himself, who came down to do the official opening, which was a sign of how big an event it was. He did a stellar job in opening that and telling us some wonderful anecdotes about the war, about Vietnam and about the obstacles that people have faced. It was really special to have Sir Peter there. We also had Dr Matt Anderson, Director of the Australian War Memorial, there as well to conduct the opening. It was a really special occasion to have such distinguished guests in our presence, and they certainly delivered on ensuring that it was a memorable experience for all of us.

We also had an ex-Vietnam War Huey helicopter fly over and land on the golf course for all of us to see. This was a really extraordinary thing. Being relatively inexperienced, I found it quite a loud helicopter—you could hear it coming, that is for certain. It came down and landed in front of all 1,000 of us, which was a really memorable thing.

That helicopter came all the way over from just south of Wollongong. A volunteer crew of four flew it all the way over from Wollongong. I had a chat to them, and I cannot quite remember but they must have had five or six stops to refuel along the way. It was another feat of extraordinary work by John and Roger and the council to ensure that that was delivered. They stopped five or six places along the way, managed to get fuel at all of them, and managed to fund that trip so that they could get there. It was a real benefit for all of us there. After that, later in the afternoon it landed on the oval so we could all have a proper look at it and get some photos and whatnot. It was a really neat thing to have that helicopter there for the day—as I said, it was an aircraft that served in Vietnam, which made it all the more special.

Another incredible feat that John and Roger managed to deliver was that John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew—formerly Redgum of I Was Only 19 fame—came down and performed a concert in Edithburgh that evening. This was a really memorable thing and a tremendous day for all. Credit to Roger and John mainly, but also to the Yorke Peninsula Council, particularly Nick Perry, who has been driving this and received a special shout-out from Sir Peter on the day. He deserves a bit of a shout-out here as well, because he has been a really dedicated servant of this project and a really key part of making it all happen.

The details have been mentioned briefly but I thought I would retouch on them. It is a near-on four-kilometre walk between Coobowie and Edithburgh, and a picturesque walk at that. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about going down to do it. It is a really beautiful walk along the coastline. There are now 25 signs in place along that walk and they all look especially great. They will withstand the coastal conditions: they are marine-grade aluminium tubing and marine-grade aluminium plasma-cut and laminated signs which will last the test of time. As you walk past you can certainly see visually that they are nice, thick, solid structures. There are also nine sponsored seats along the walk which will allow people who are undertaking it to break it up and have a comfortable seat looking out over the ocean in the meantime.

It truly is a wonderful initiative. John and Roger have delivered, with the help of the council, and have made Vietnam Veterans Day all the more special this year. I am really thankful that they were able to get it done, I am really thankful to them for allowing me to be slightly involved in the project, and I am really thankful that the community has been so welcoming. The RSL, the town and the progress associations have all contributed to making it happen.

This is now a unique thing in Australia. As best we understand the situation, there are no other memorial walks around the country. It will hopefully bring a nice healthy allotment of tourists to our region to do the walk and enjoy Edithburgh at the same time, because Lord knows at the moment with the algal bloom and the impacts we are feeling in that part of the world we need those initiatives to attract people to our region. Hopefully it has that effect. The 1,000 people who turned up on Monday is a good start.

Thank you to all those who made it happen. In particular, I re-emphasise a massive congratulations to Roger Hogben, a Vietnam vet himself, and John Edwards on making it happen, driving it and coming up with the idea. Credit to you and thank you for your service to our community.

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (12:49): I rise to support the member for Hammond's motion and, in doing so, honour one of Mount Gambier's own: Lieutenant Anthony 'Tony' Austin Casadio, Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Flight Vietnam, who gave his life at just 22 years of age. Vietnam Veterans Day on 18 August asks us to remember the 60,000 Australians who served, to reflect on their bravery and teamwork, and to mourn and remember the 523 who did not come home. Tony is one of those names and, for our community, his story makes the statistics personal.

Tony was born in Port Lincoln on 30 December 1945, but he grew up in Mount Gambier and attended Marist Brothers' College. In 1964, he joined the Royal Australian Navy, trained as a helicopter pilot and, after graduating from the RAAF, flew from HMAS Melbourne. In 1967, he volunteered for the first contingent of the Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Flight Vietnam, an extraordinary unit that embedded with the US Army's 135th Assault Helicopter Company. The combined unit was known as the Experimental Military Unit (EMU), where they flew Huey utility and gunship missions under constant fire in support of allied forces.

Service in the EMU was hazardous in the extreme, as later recognised by the Unit Citation for Gallantry awarded to the flight crews who daily flew combat assault missions with an expectation of being fired upon every second sortie. That honour, presented by the Governor-General in 2018, acknowledged not just a unit but a culture of courage and teamwork that defined the Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Flight Vietnam.

Tony embodied that courage. In just over 10 months of active service, he was decorated four times and, in November 1967, he received the United States Distinguished Flying Cross for 'heroism beyond the call of duty' after landing a badly damaged helicopter and saving his crew. On 21 August 1968, Tony was leading a light fire team of gunships flying at tree level from Black Horse to Nui Dat when his aircraft was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade.

The helicopter crashed in a clearing. Tony and his fellow Australian crew mate, Petty Officer O'Brian Cedric Phillips, and two American crew members were killed on impact. The loss was felt profoundly across the tight-knit EMU contingent, which held a memorial service at the base. Tony was 22. He was laid to rest at Carinya Gardens Cemetery in Mount Gambier on 10 September 1968.

Our community has never forgotten him. Friends and colleagues of Tony from both the Fleet Air Arm and the 135th Airborne raised funds to establish the Casadio Award, first presented at Tenison Woods College (formerly Marist Brothers) in 1969. To this day, the award is presented annually at Tenison Woods College by Mr Bob Sandow, President of the Mount Gambier RSL.

Since 1970, Mount Gambier Air Force Cadets have also honoured his legacy by presenting the Casadio Trophy each year to their most outstanding candidate. Alongside this, the Mount Gambier Italo Australian Club, recognising the only son of an Italian immigrant family, named its grounds Casadio Park in his honour, a decision taken unanimously in 1970 and officially opened in 1972. To this day, Casadio Park hosts local soccer and community events, and Tony's name continues to be spoken at ANZAC commemorations and club matches.

To Tony's family and to the veterans of our region and across Australia, we express our gratitude, we recognise the hardship of service and the too-often hard homecoming. We pledge that our remembrance will not be seasonal, it will be lived, in the way we tell our young people these stories, in how we support veterans' health and in how we preserve places like Casadio Park as living memorials. I commend the motion and may we always remember Lieutenant Anthony Austin Casadio, pilot, son of Mount Gambier, and an enduring example of bravery, teamwork and endurance in the service of Australia. Lest we forget.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (12:54): I would like to thank the members for Dunstan, Stuart, Narungga and Mount Gambier who made such heartfelt contributions to this motion. Something we must never forget is the service and sacrifice of the people who serve this country, certainly in regard to our Vietnam veterans, who not only had their struggles abroad but had their struggles at home and are now well recognised as the leadership of a lot of the RSLs, if not most of them, in this state in making a contribution to veteran welfare and not only thinking about themselves. I salute their service in the past, I salute their service now, and I salute their service into the future.

Motion carried.

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