Join Rocky Hill War Memorial and Museum for the opening of its next exhibition, "Vietnam War: Honouring Service and Reflecting on Social Change," on Friday, 16 August at 3pm.
The exhibition showcases the stories of local service personnel through images, objects, and reflections from family members. It also delves into the social changes of the era and the domestic opposition to the war.
Curator, Julianne Salway, emphasises that the exhibition does not aim to provide a comprehensive history of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War but rather to pay tribute to those who served in a challenging conflict.
The Australian presence in Vietnam began in 1962 with the deployment of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) to assist South Vietnam in its fight against communism. The exhibition also highlights the impact of conscription and the growing anti-war sentiments in Australia during this period. The Moratorium movement, which gained momentum in 1970, called for the immediate withdrawal of Australian troops from Vietnam, leading to large-scale protests across the country.
The exhibition sheds light on the personal stories of individuals affected by the war, such as Private Raymond John Cox (2787020), who was killed in action in 1968. The Vietnam War had a lasting impact on the Goulburn region and Australia as a whole, with over 500 Australians losing their lives and many more suffering physical and mental scars from the conflict.
