General News
20 August, 2026
Horsham honours Vietnam veterans 60 years on
Horsham commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan on August 18, Vietnam Veterans Day, honouring the 60,000 Australian men and women who served in the Vietnam War.
Horsham commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan on August 18, Vietnam Veterans Day, honouring the 60,000 Australian men and women who served in the Vietnam War.
On Tuesday, the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia’s Wimmera Branch, with assistance from the Horsham RSL sub-branch, held a commemorative service at the Cenotaph on Sawyer Park.
Vietnam veteran and president of the VVAA Wimmera Branch, Colin Hill, was the emcee for the morning’s service and spoke alongside the guest speakers, mayor Brian Klowss, member for Lowan Emma Kealy MP, Lutheran Minister and chaplain in the Australian Army, Hans Peethala, and keynote speaker, veteran Peter Hay.
Ruminating among the speakers was the sacrifice of young men and women who served their country in the Vietnam War.
The 523 Australians who lost their lives, and the veterans who returned home to a divided nation and continue to suffer emotionally and physically from their service.
Also addressed was the impact of the Vietnam War on families who waited for the return of their loved ones and supported them coming home, carrying the burden of wartime service alongside them.
Floral tributes were laid at the commemorative stone by representatives of the community.
The call of the Last Post and Rouse by bugler Mark Radford was played to the ambient rain, adding to the solemnity of the service.
The Battle of Long Tan was fought on August 18, 1966, after D Company, 6RAR, was attacked by North Vietnamese forces who outnumbered them 10 to 1 in a battle that lasted four hours.
Sixty years on, it remains one of the defining moments in Australian military history.
It serves as a vivid reminder of the courage and endurance embodied by the troops that went unrecognised for over 15 years since the last contingent returned home in 1972.
A Welcome Home Parade was held in the streets of Sydney in 1987, where Prime Minister Bob Hawke gave an address declaring that the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, August 18, would henceforth become known as Vietnam Veterans Day, granting Vietnam veterans the overdue recognition they returned home without.