Cessnock RSL Sub-branch once again had a good crowd for its annual service to commemorate the Vietnam War.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Held at Veterans Park, Aberdare on August 18, the date signifies the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, where 18 Australians died.
It has been 49 years since the battle took place in a rubber plantation just five kilometres from the Australian headquarters of Nui Dat.
Cessnock RSL Sub-branch president Max Lewis said the service was terrific, with a beautiful afternoon of weather for the 80-odd people present, including many from the Kurri RSL Sub-branch.
Cessnock High School student Jeremy Smith gave a speech about the Vietnam War, and fellow student Mia-Jane Thompson sang the national anthem for the ceremony.
Returned soldiers laid wreaths and three flares were lit to represent the three local men who died in the war.
