PROSERPINE army and Vietnam veteran Brian ‘Weary’ Dunlop is encouraging the community to take a moment to recognise and support all Vietnam veterans.
Vietnam Veterans’ Day was marked on Sunday, August 18, and locally, the Proserpine RSL Sub Branch hosted a lunch for members of the community to come together and commemorate.
Weary volunteered for national service and joined the 5RAR in 1967, at just 20 years old.
After training with the 5RAR, Weary was deployed to Vietnam from 1969 to 1970.
“I was the Acting Section Commander of my platoon for most of the tour. We were involved in a lot of coordinated searches and attacks for the Battalion,” Weary recalls.
“Operations varied over the year, some were intense and short, and others were long with minimal contact.”
Commemorated annually on August 18, Vietnam Veterans’ Day honours the significant contribution of Australian veterans who served in the Vietnam War.
August 18 is the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan – one of the most significant conflicts for Australians who served in the Vietnam War.
More than 60,000 Australians served from 1962 to 1973, with additional personnel from the Royal Australian Air Force returning to Vietnam in 1975, to carry out evacuations and assist refugees in the lead-up to South Vietnam’s surrender.
Of those who served, 523 died and around 3,000 were evacuated with wounds, injuries or illnesses.
In June 1969, Weary was involved in the Battle of Binh Ba, which saw his Battalion engage in combat against a combined force of People’s Army of Vietnam and Viet Cong, in the village north of Nui Dat.
The battle involved fierce close-quarter, house-to-house fighting and has been ranked as one of the major Australian victories of the war.
“We were virtually a blocking force that pushed the enemy out of the village through heavy artillery and air-bombardment,” Weary says.
“While this became a significant battle back home, it was just like any other contact or ambush we were involved in – all of them stuck with you the same.”
When Weary returned home, in 1970, he first visited his family in Perth before heading across to Sydney to be a part of the returning soldiers march, where a few spectators had thrown red paint onto some of the soldiers in front of him.
“It was heartbreaking to finally come home and be treated in that way, being welcomed home like that definitely affected some of us.
“Although most people didn’t treat us that poorly, there were enough that made remarks which got in your head.”
After moving to Proserpine, in 2000, Weary joined the Proserpine RSL Sub Branch in 2010, following recommendations from a few veterans who inspired him to get involved.
As he became more involved with the Sub Branch, Weary was motivated to see it thrive and become a welcoming place for all veterans in the community.
In 2015 he became treasurer and, since then, has invested his time heavily into the Sub Branch to ensure that younger veterans also feel comfortable in reaching out and connecting.
“There are a lot of young veterans in the area who toured in Afghanistan, so I wanted to create a place that they could come to and connect with other soldiers,” Weary says.
“The best way to overcome troubles from your service is to talk about them and surround yourself with a community that understands and supports you.
“I hope I have done this with the Proserpine RSL Sub Branch.”
