Page 4119 - Week 11 - Thursday, 21 September 2017
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In recent weeks, many of us have participated in events that mark significant milestones in commemorating and recognising veterans. It has been good to join with the minister in attending the opening of the new peacekeepers memorial on Anzac Parade, the commemoration service for HMAS Canberra, and Vietnam Veterans Day, among others.
I think that Vietnam veterans are deserving of special mention because of the way they were treated on their return. Young men, often conscripts, were castigated and blamed on their return for decisions made by the government of the day. As a result, many suffered much more trauma than they should have, and suicide rates and other mental health issues have been alarmingly high. I am glad that as a society we now commend our veterans and that if there is any condemning to do it is aimed at the politicians who make the decisions and not the servicemen and women who carry out those decisions.
This is not to say that the veterans of today’s conflicts are not suffering, however. When they return from active service, I know, many of them are. I commend organisations like Soldier On and Remount, who are doing great work locally in supporting veterans of recent conflicts and their families.
This is a city that is home to both the War Memorial and Parliament House. It is not by accident that politicians can view the memorial from their parliament and ponder the consequences of the decisions they make. Let me put on the record the wonderful efforts of Dr Brendan Nelson and his staff at the War Memorial who, in my view, are doing a magnificent job with that wonderful institution.
I would like to take the opportunity to recognise an old mate of mine who I bumped into at the peacekeepers memorial event, James McMahon, who is on the board of the memorial. James, as those who know him and those who have served in the Army over the last 20 or 30 years will know, is very prominent. He was a commander of the SASR, the Special Air Service Regiment, and was recognised with the Distinguished Service Medal for his service in East Timor and the Distinguished Service Cross for Afghanistan. With people like James—or Jim, as he is known to many—on the board, the memorial is in very good hands.
As a legatee, I also acknowledge the generous contributions made by members of the Assembly and their staff during Legacy Week this month. Legacy is representative of many of the ex-service organisations in the ACT that support veterans and their families. The work done by all of the volunteers of these organisations is very important. I am honoured to be the legatee adviser to 13 widows and have seen firsthand the difference that this organisation makes to the lives of so many people.
As a member of the RSL Woden Valley branch, the Royal Australian Regiment Association, the Australian Army Training Team Iraq Association and an honorary member of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam Association, I also commend these organisations and the many others in Canberra that support veterans. They are joined together through the Kindred Organisations Committee. It is wonderful to see their president, Pat McCabe, here in the Assembly today. I welcome you here, Pat.
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