August 18, 2026
The 60th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan was remembered at Vietnam Veterans’ Day commemorations around the South Burnett on Tuesday morning.
In Kingaroy, the traditional service at the RSL Club’s carpark flagpoles was moved into the Tobruk Room because of the weather.
Kingaroy-Memerambi Sub-Branch president Barry Offer said the gathering was to remember the sacrifice of those who died and to say thank you to the almost 60,000 Australians who served during the 10 years of the country’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
He said the Battle of Long Tan was a significant moment during the war.
“The men of Delta Company 6RAR faced the force of some 2000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops,” Mr Offer said.
“The battle was fought in wet, muddy conditions during a heavy tropical downpour. By the end of the day, 17 Australians had been killed in action and 25 were wounded, one of whom died a few days later.
“This was the largest number of casualties in a single operation since the Australian taskforce established its base at nearby Nui Dat the previous April.
“On this day we commemorate all the battles fought by Australians in Vietnam from large-scale operations to section-level encounters, and we remember the sailors of the Royal Australian Navy who supported land operations, and the members of the Royal Australian Air Force who served in combat and transport roles.
“We honour those veterans who lost their lives in battle; returned home wounded or injured; lost their lives in the years since they returned; and those that still carry the physical or emotional scars of their service.
“We also pause to reflect on the impact of service on veterans’ families.
“Lest We Forget.”
The guest speaker at the Kingaroy commemoration was Vietnam veteran and Cherbourg Elder, Uncle Eric Law AM.
Uncle Eric served in Vietnam with the 1st Australian Logistics Support Group at Vung Tau; after his return to Australia he trained as a teacher and taught at St Joseph’s Catholic School in Murgon for two decades.
He spoke about how “a small, black kid from Cherbourg” ended up thousands of miles away working in intelligence in Vietnam.
Because of the Protection Act, Uncle Eric had to get permission from the superintendent at Cherbourg to travel to Brisbane to sign up.
“If he’d had said ‘no’, then I wouldn’t be wearing these,” Uncle Eric said, pointing to the medals on his chest.
After training at Kapooka, Amberley Air Force base and Holsworthy, Uncle Eric received his orders to go to Vietnam in 1969.
He said it was a big deal for him to honour his father, who served in World War I, and his uncles.
“I am preaching to the converted, but war is the most stupid thing that man has ever invented,” Uncle Eric said.
“We lose too many people. The stuff that’s going on now around the world is just crazy … war is not the answer to everything.”
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