Going Back (13 page)
Villagers tend to their rice crops east of Ba Ria and close to the village of An Nhut, with the Long Hai Hills in the background.
Photo courtesy Paul Greenhalgh
Comparing notes and war stories in the Long Hais are former
D 445 Battalion
officer Lieutenant Hoang Ngan, 5 RAR platoon commander Roger Wainwright and RMO Dr Tony White. Mr Hoang runs the Long Hai museum and a small café in the Long Hai Hills.
Photo courtesy Rupert White
Shrapnel scars and bomb-fractured rocks adorn the entrance to a former Viet Cong hospital set amongst the caves and enormous granite boulders in the Long Hais. The area has been allegedly cleared of mines but visitors should exercise caution when moving off defined paths and tracks.
Photo courtesy Garry Adams
Above:
Looking south towards the Long Hai Hills and the former Minh Dam Secret Zone, which had a reputation as a place you really didn't want to go if you were an infantryman. The Hills have once again recovered the growth that had been severely defoliated by chemical spraying.
Photo courtesy Garry Adams
Facing page:
Dr Ted Heffernan in front of a monastery where he once conducted a medical aid program during Operation Hayman on Long Son Island in early November 1966. The area had not changed much in the intervening years and it brought great delight to the doctor to see where he had once worked with the local Vietnamese community.
Photo courtesy Rupert White
The ubiquitous hawkers and peddlers will pursue tourists almost anywhere to sell their souvenirs and goods. Ambushed and with nowhere to go atop the monument to the Viet Cong in Vung Tau are, in the foreground and from left to right, Rupert White, Dr Tony White and Doffy White. In the background, considering the merits of yet another T-shirt they don't need, are Fred Pfitzner and tour guide Garry Adams.
Photo courtesy Paul Greenhalgh
Resplendent in their 5 RAR cravats and ready for a night out in Vung Tau are, from left to right, Ron Shambrook, Dr Tony White and Peter Isaacs.
Photo courtesy Tony White
The ever busy Hoa Long markets are still a thriving meeting place for the local villagers who rely on fresh produce daily. The village was known to be pro-Viet Cong during the American War and supportive of anti-government activities.
Photo courtesy Roger Wainwright
Peter (âthe Pirate') Isaacs entertaining a horde of Catholic school children in the town of Binh Gia where the 5 RAR pilgrims stopped for a rest. The friendliness of the local populace is one aspect that never fails to impress visiting veterans.
Photo courtesy Ron Shambrook
The opportunity to dine out in one of the many fine restaurants in Viet Nam was not passed up by the 5 RAR pilgrimage group when they had a sightseeing day and enjoyed lunch at the Ha Hoi Restaurant in Hanoi.
Photo courtesy Roger Wainwright
The 5 RAR pilgrimage group pose on the steps of their hotel in Hanoi towards the end of their tour. Pictured standing from left to right are Dr Ted Heffernan, historian Elizabeth Stewart, tour guide Garry Adams, Roger Wainwright, Fred Pfitzner, Peter Isaacs (eye patch), John Taske, Tina Wainwright, Paul Greenhalgh (front), Ben Morris (beard), Joy Heffernan and Ron Shambrook. Seated are author Gary McKay and Wendy Greenhalgh.
Photo courtesy Paul Greenhalgh
