{"id":322962,"date":"2022-08-18T18:43:30","date_gmt":"2022-08-18T08:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=322962"},"modified":"2022-08-18T22:34:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T12:34:02","slug":"when-a-marble-decided-your-destiny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2022\/08\/18\/when-a-marble-decided-your-destiny\/","title":{"rendered":"When A Marble Decided Your Destiny"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vietnam veterans, family members, RSL Sub-Branch members and invited guests gathered for a group photo at the end of the commemoration<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

August 18, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vietnam war veterans, their families and community members gathered in towns across the South Burnett on Thursday to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan.<\/p>\n

Commemorations were held in Blackbutt, Nanango, Kingaroy, Wondai and Murgon.<\/p>\n

In Kingaroy, attendees gathered in the car park of the Kingaroy RSL Club, at the foot of the flagpoles and Rising Sun plaque.<\/p>\n

Guest speaker was Mrs Judith Dixon, the sister of the late Barry Magnussen who was conscripted and fought at Long Tan.<\/p>\n

Lance Corporal Magnussen was awarded the Cross of Gallantry for “acts of gallantry in hazardous circumstances as a member of 4 Section, 11 Platoon, D Company, 6th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (RAR), during the battle of Long Tan, Phuoc Tuy Province, Vietnam, August 18, 1966”.<\/p>\n

He survived the battle, but died before the decoration was finally awarded to him in 2016.<\/p>\n

Mrs Dixon spoke about the conscription debate which tore Australia apart during the 1960s.<\/p>\n

“Ironically, the people of Australia had voted for conscription in a previous Federal Election,” she said.<\/p>\n

“But when the marbles started to come out of the barrel, the horror of war hit home, especially when only sons were chosen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“My brother was an only son.<\/p>\n

“Many people tried to get out of it but to no avail for most.<\/p>\n

“My brother Barry had two bad breaks in his legs, one break was fastened with a pin … but he was still expected to do all the training with full packs. Imagine it.<\/p>\n

“So instead of doing his training, he spent the time in hospital to repair the damage done by these training exercises.”<\/p>\n

She said while the conscripts joined the Regular Army, other people joined groups and marches to show their loud opposition to conscription.<\/p>\n

Mrs Dixon said the soldiers departed for Vietnam at midnight so that opposition to their departure was a lot less, and parents and relatives “could not make a scene”.<\/p>\n

She said the young men of D Company, including her brother, were completely outnumbered by Viet Cong at Long Tan, in a battlefield the size of two football fields.<\/p>\n

“Everything was against this platoon surviving … the constant rain and running out of ammunition,” Mrs Dixon said.<\/p>\n

“But a big drop of ammunition saved lives just as everyone had given up on these incredibly brave group of men.”<\/p>\n

Mrs Dixon said the Australian people treated Vietnam veterans very badly when they came home “as if they had not suffered enough”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“My brother told me once … that he thought those who had died on the battlefield were the lucky ones as coming home to live a normal life was impossible,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Let us never forget the great courage shown by these men on their day of destiny, August 18, 1966.<\/p>\n

“Lest We Forget.”<\/p>\n

Footnote: In November 1964, the Federal Government, led by Prime Minister Robert Menzies, introduced a scheme of conscription to select 20-year-old men to serve in the army. The process for choosing them was similar to a lottery. Numbered marbles, each representing a day of the year, were placed in a barrel. A predetermined number were then drawn out randomly by hand. If the number picked corresponded to the day of the year on which a person was born, they were required to present themselves for National Service. Men “balloted in” had to perform two years continuous full-time service in the Australian Regular Army. This could include overseas service in Vietnam. After their full-time service, they were required to serve for 3 1\/2 years part-time. (National Archives of Australia)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Kingaroy-Memerambi RSL Sub-Branch board members Barry Krosch, president Don Davey and Patty Winters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Guest speaker was Mrs Judith Dixon, from Wondai, who spoke about her brother Lance Corporal Barry Magnussen, the Battle of Long Tan and “Destiny By Ballot”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Sub-Branch president Don Davey compered proceedings and read the Ode<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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Matt Phillips, from Kingaroy State High School, played Reveille and Rouse at the ceremony<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Nanango Youth Parliament representative (and South Burnett Youth Council member) Charlie Plant with Cr Danita Potter … Charlie laid a wreath on behalf of Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Vietnam veterans Don Beardmore (9th Squadron RAAF) and Sam Richters (3 RAR) both now live in Kingaroy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Wreaths were laid at the foot of the Rising Sun plaque outside the Kingaroy RSL Club building<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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