In memory: Mitchell Vietnam Veterans Association sub-branch president Ross Stewart with the newly-installed Anzac commemorative chair.
Seymour and district residents will mark Vietnam Veterans’ Day this week.
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Vietnam Veterans’ Day is commemorated each year on August 18, which this year marks the 56th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan.
It is a time to pause and reflect on the tremendous sacrifices made by Australians who served in Vietnam.
Mitchell Vietnam Veterans Association sub-branch president and commemorative walk committee chairman Ross Stewart said the day was particularly significant for those who fought in the war.
“It was a war that was not popular and was not widely recognised,” Mr Stewart said.
“I remember leaving Melbourne Airport to protesters. It did not register that they were there to rally against the Vietnam War.”
Seymour’s Vietnam Veterans’ Day service will be held at 11am at the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk in High St, Seymour.
There will be some honorary guests at the service, including Nationals candidate for the seat of Euroa Annabelle Cleeland and Mitchell Shire Mayor Bill Chisholm.
A special guest speaker from Callsign Vampire Hospital, a military hospital in Vietnam during the war, will be presenting a talk.
Representatives from Seymour College, Puckapunyal Primary School and St Mary’s College Seymour are all planning to attend.
There will be afternoon refreshments at the RSL Hall following the service.
Remembering Vietnam: Ross Stewart, Michael Novak, Jodie Griffiths and Harry and Robyn Souter with the wares available for sale each weekend at the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk in Seymour.
The event has been organised by the Seymour Vietnam Veterans Committee. The committee was formed in 2010 and the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk was opened in 2013.
“It’s a place like no other in Australia, a place where people can come and see a loved one’s name on the glass panel and it means something,” Mr Stewart said of the commemorative walk.
Mitchell Vietnam Veterans Association sub-branch and commemorative walk committee member Harry Souter and his wife Robyn are stationed at the walk most weekends, running the shop and welcoming visitors.
The new Anzac commemorative chair will be a new feature for this year’s memorial.
While plans for the chair were tabled a few years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic put the plan on hold until recently.
The chair was made in South Australia by A1 Plaques Group and was funded by donations from members of the public.
Spot On Concrete in Seymour donated time, skill and material to create the slab for the chair. The slab design includes space for wheelchair chair access.
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