This week, with Remembrance Day just around the corner, Roy wanted to visit somewhere where he could remember all the people who died for us during the various wars Australia has been involved with. Remembrance Day is most strongly associated with the First World War, as it is the day which commemorates the Armistice. Yet there are so many other wars which Australia has fought in, and Roy wanted to remember these too. Then, while in Muswellbrook he saw this beautiful Vietnam War Memorial and decided it would be a perfect place to visit.
If you would like to visit the Vietnam War Memorial, it is located about a kilometre north of Muswellbrook itself, along the New England Highway. It is a huge site with trees planted to commemorate the people who died and a central memorial which represents a gun pit, like those used in Vietnam. There are places to sit and reflect (including picnic tables) and toilets available. It is a popular rest area along the New England Highway.
The Vietnam War Memorial near Muswellbrook is a unique memorial, dedicated to a war which many would prefer to forget. Vietnam was a long war, beginning in 1955 and not ending officially until 1975, but Australia’s involvement did not begin until 1962. The Vietnam War is the longest War in Australia’s history, lasting from 1962 until 1973, and this is the period which the memorial commemorates. The war was being waged between the North of Vietnam and the South, and Australia and our allies (particularly America) came to the aid of the South. Many Australian’s were not happy about the war and it was the biggest cause of protest since anti-conscription referendums during the First World War. Many refused to serve, while the soldiers themselves often received a cold reception on their return home. To find out more about the Vietnam War, click here.
The Memorial near Muswellbrook is a massive site and incorporates a beautiful living memorial with over 500 native trees planted, one for each Australian killed while serving in Vietnam. There are also the more usual monuments, one of which bears the inscription;
"For those who have fought for it, life has a quality the sheltered will never know"
This inscription was taken from an inscription found carved into the wall of a bunker in Khe Sahn (Vietnam) after the base was liberated following many months under siege. In another area is a monument which resembles a gun pit, flanked with crosses, a poignant reminder of those who died. The most striking aspect of the memorial though is that it is truly a memorial to the ANZACs, as it names not only all the Australians who died in Vietnam, but also the New Zealanders who died.