True story of ordinary boys who became extraordinary men
Today, Thursday 18 August 2011 is the 45th Anniversary of the legendary Battle of Long Tan. The long wait for proper recognition of the gallantry of those who fought and died in this battle is almost over. 45 years ago today 105 Australians and 3 New Zealanders fought and defeated an overwhelming enemy force of […]
There is still availability on the 7 day Long Tan Trek Tour departing 12 October 2011, and the follow-on 12 day Decisive Battlefields Tour to Vietnam 18 October 2011, both hosted and guided by Long Tan veteran, former commander of 12 Platoon, D Coy 6RAR 2Lt Dave Sabben. This Tour also makes a donation to […]
If you’ve ever wanted a more detailed understanding of The Battle of Long Tan, you should check out this fantastic, animated and interactive PowerPoint presentation created by Long Tan veteran Dave Sabben. About Dave: as a 20 year old, Dave registered for national service but his number didn’t come up. Unperturbed, Dave packed his bags, […]
Arguably the backbone and discipline of any infantry company is the Company Sergeant Major (CSM). These soldiers of Warrant Officer rank are part father figure, part teacher and part principle / headmaster. Almost all of the CSM’s I’ve come across have had very strong and unique personalities made up of steadiness, humour, discipline but ultimately […]
No discussion of the Battle of Long Tan would be complete without remembering the ultimate sacrifice of the Australian’s and Vietnamese who fought and died in the battle. Here is a list of the Australian’s who were killed fighting in the Battle of Long Tan: KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS USED IN LIST 1 APC Sqn […]
One of the little known and fascinating aspects of the Battle of Long Tan is the intelligence that was being collected, analysed and distributed to the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) Commander Brigadier David Jackson and some of his headquarters staff. During the Vietnam War a secret radio intelligence and tracking unit from the Australian […]
By David Ellery – Defence Reporter *This article appeared in The Canberra Times on 15 January 2011 but as there is no online version it has been reproduced here. The greatest impediment to an honest assessment of the way honours were allocated after the battle of Long Tan is a concept that dates back to […]
**Update: Watch Channel 7’s Sunrise Soapbox discuss this story at the bottom of this post. The man who led Australian soldiers to victory at the bloody Battle of Long Tan 44 years ago is taking his fight for medals justice to the Federal Court. Harry Smith, Lieutenant Colonel retired, today confirmed he will be pursuing […]
*I first published this post for SPAA (Screen Producers Association Australia) on 3/10/2009. It is a simple but very important question and in short the answer is yes they can! If this is the case then why don’t more Australian films make money either domestically or internationally? As a consumer marketer & producer my professional […]
*I first published this post for SPAA (Screen Producers Association Australia) on 23/10/2009. After attending the forum ‘OZ Films vs OZ Audiences’ put together by Metro Screen last night and moderated by Andrew Urban at the Chauvel Cinema I came away despondent that the same people are having the same conversations about the same problems […]