The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
When two Australian Army advisers stationed at Binh Ba in South Vietnam have visitors - especially fellow Australians - anything is likely to happen. Well almost anything. It was a Sunday when a truckload of troops from 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, arrived at the fortified outpost about six miles north of the Task Force base at Nui Dat. They were bringing supplies to the two advisers: Warrant Officers Ron Seiler, of Wagga, NSW and Bruce Elphiek, of Gundagai, NSW. The new arrivals attracted the usual curiosity, and children and South Vietnamese regional force soldiers alike came out to greet them. The 7th Battalion troops weren't the only visitors: a reconnaisance helicopter from the Task Force also dropped into the compound. A group of children rushed forward to meet the chopper, and one young child was lifted into the aircraft. As we said almost anything is likely to happen when visitors arrive. This time it was a game of volley ball, with the 7th Battalion troops challenging the local soldiers. Volley ball is a popular game among Australian troops in Vietnam, but on this occasion the Diggers met their match. Despite spirited barracking from the two advisers sitting on the side lines, the Australians could not cope with the locals' superior ball handling and teamwork. It may not have had the glamor of an Australian Rules or rugby grand final, but it did have the ingredients that make sport a welcome break for troops serving in Vietnam. Not to forget of course the traditional after-match drink.
When Warrant Officer Terry Smith, of Mount Druitt, NSW, arrives home from Vietnam tomorrow he leaves behind a lordly title with his Vietnamese friends. A member of the Australian Army Training Team, h
Sport in South Vietnam - like sport anywhere - is a break from the routine of daily work. And last weekend, when two sides from the 1st Australian Logistic Support group, based at Vung Tau, played off
When ever operational commitments allow, troops of the Australian Task Force based at Nui Dat, take the opporunity to play whatever sport can be organised. The most recent games to be organised were f
The constructions sounds of hammering and sawing took over from the sounds of battle in the village of Binh Ba, five miles north of the Australian Task Force, this week. Civil affairs workers and engi
Australian troops have introduced Rugby Union to Phuoc Tuy Province in South Vietnam. The first game to be seen by local residents of the Province capital Baria, was played during siesta time last Sat
With temperatures in the eighties [degrees Fahrenheit] and the humidity just as high, teams from the 1st ALSG laboured on but were beaten in four out of five sports played at military ovals throughout
