STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr ZAPPIA (Makin) (13:38): Today is Vietnam Veterans' Day and the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, in which Australian soldiers showed great valour in holding out against incredible odds. Eighteen Australians died and 24 were wounded at Long Tan, in what was Australia's most costly engagement in the war. On this day, we honour and thank all of the Australians who served in Vietnam, something we failed to do as a nation when those service members returned to Australia.

In the Makin electorate, a commemorative service was held this morning at Henderson Square in Montague Farm Estate in Pooraka, as it has been every year since 1993 when the Hon. Tim Fischer AC opened Henderson Square as a dedicated Vietnam veterans memorial site. Henderson Square was named after Warrant Officer Malcolm Henderson, who was fatally wounded in Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam, in December of 1967.

On the initiative of Fred Pritchard, who had served in Vietnam, the entire Montague Farm Estate is a living memorial to the war, with each of the 43 streets and several of the reserves in the estate named after one of the 58 South Australians who died in Vietnam. By the end of the war, 524 Australians had lost their lives due to their service in Vietnam. Today we honour them and the 60,000 Australians who served in Vietnam by dedicating 18 August each year to their service.

Lest we forget.