Does Australia give due respect to those who served in Vietnam?
That’s the question that was posed to veteran Norm Heslington, who has emphatically stated that his cohort is being snubbed by the government and society.
Born in 1950, Mr Heslington came to Australia as an orphan at three years of age, where he was raised in the Fairbridge community in the Shire of Peel.
“It was a great upbringing, regardless of what some people say about it. A great community, where I learned so many important life lessons,” he said.
Mr Heslington would credit his experiences at Fairbridge with giving him the skills necessary to make it through his one-and-a-half-year tour in Vietnam.
In 1970, at age 19, he put his name forward for conscription, and his number was drawn.
The next 18 months would see many firefights, ambushes and raids, as he served as an infantryman in the Australian Army fighting against Communist North Vietnam’s guerilla forces, known as the Viet Cong.
Upon being recalled to Australia, he remembers his battalion receiving a heroes’ welcome in Townsville, which was famed for its military friendliness. This was in contrast to the welcome received by many of the country’s other veterans.
“It was hard in Vietnam, but honestly, my upbringing at Fairbridge helped me. Once I got back to Perth, I moved away from my focus on pursuing footy and got involved selling trinkets on the streets of Perth City.”
Despite the sacrifices many of his comrades made in the war, Mr Heslington is upset by what he views as an almost total lack of recognition.
“It’s disgraceful. You can’t send people off to war, award them pensions and what have you, and then abandon them in their later years,” he said.
“The thing is, the Vietnam War changed the political landscape in Australia. It became fashionable to put veterans down as the war grew unpopular. The narrative was hijacked by mainstream media in my view.
“The truth is that there are good stories and bad stories from every conflict and out of every conflict emerge heroes and villains. Among the Australians I served with, I never heard of one incident of abuse of the Vietnamese people by Australian soldiers. We didn’t, and today still don’t, hold any ill feeling towards Vietnamese people. Those who fought for the Viet Cong were simply doing their job, as we were doing ours.”
Mr Heslington was particularly disappointed by a visit he made to the Mandurah war memorial on 18 August, Vietnam Veterans’ Day.
“I went down there to the war memorial, expecting some action, and there was nobody there. I went originally to Mandurah to meet up with a mate from Vietnam, who was also in the infantry. There was not a single flower or wreath laid at the war memorial. When we then went to Mandurah RSL, there were 10 to 15 blokes there, no wives, family or anything. Nothing official to be seen. It was a real kick in the guts.”
Mr Heslington additionally says that despite contacting several politicians about the matter, he did not receive a response, though he will keep trying.
“As I say, the only things in life worth having are things worth fighting for, and this recognition is worth it.”
