Vietnam
That’s me with the guitar, along with singer Jillian Smith - singing to four patients from the 8th Field Ambulance during visit to the 1st Australian Task Force. (Left: Private (Pte) Gordon Hanna of Welington, NZ; Pte Allan Young of Mount Morgan, Qld; Pte Vincent Amopiu of Otahuhu, NZ; Bombardier Tony Rice of Otahuhu, NZ.
How incongruous - singing with my guitar in the middle of a war zone!
‘Not long after I arrived in Sydney, I was asked to go to Vietnam to entertain The Australian and American troops.
Honoured to be awarded the Vietnam Logistic & Support Medal.
Here I am on stage in Nui Dat, singing to about 1,500 Australian soldiers.
Butterworth
Onboard HMAS Stalwart: Artists - Sid & Patti Heylen, the Revelles, Gus Merzi, musical director, Eric Jupp. That’s me back row centre, next to Jim Killen, Minister for Defence.
Chatting to a naval officer after a show.
As a follow up to my singing for the troops in Vietnam in 1969, I also toured with the FACE Concert Party (Forces Advisory Committee on Entertainment) in RAAF bases in Bandiana, Wagga, Nowra, Williamtown, Learmonth, Darwin, Tengah, Penang and Butterworth.
That was in November 1976 and James Killen, the then Minister for Defence in the Fraser Government, attended our show in Butterworth. He had recently overseen a major review of the Australian Defence Force and our tour was highly publicised. – especially when we were taken onboard HMAS Stalwart.
With a naval officer and Jim Killen, Minister for Defence (right)