Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am proud to be speaking to this motion regarding recent commemorations in Korea and I particularly want to acknowledge those who fought at the Battles of Kapyong and Maryan San in 1951. It is 65 years since those battles, as we have just heard. I want to congratulate everyone who was involved with the commemorations. I want to acknowledge my colleague and friend the member for Canberra, Gai Brodtman, who attended the commemorations along with other members from elsewhere. They were very important commemorations for very important battles that were fought by the 3rd Battalion with our UN partners.

As we have heard, it is a very important and sometimes overlooked part of our military history but certainly not for me, not for my brother Daniel and not for any other members of the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment who fought in those particular battles or other members of various regiments that hold those battles and our conduct them in them in high esteem. It is important that we remember. I thought I could shed some more light on some of the veterans and on what that war meant. Korea was the first test of the Australian Army following World War II, particularly for our newly formed Royal Australian Regiment. We fought alongside Commonwealth countries like Canada, Britain, New Zealand and other Commonwealth nations as well as America in that UN deployment. Seventeen thousand Australians served in Korea and 356 were killed in action. That was over three relatively short years of fighting so, when you compare it to other conflicts later on, it was a significant loss of life.

The Australian War Memorial records that there were 11 Territorians who served in Korea: Timothy Angeles, John Cubillo, Clifton French, Francis Gaden, William Hyde, Leonard Sargent, Larry Willaroo, John Wilson, Max Heinrich and Allan Laughton, and current Territorians like my friend Jack. Also of note is that, during the war, Reg Saunders became the first Aboriginal Australian to serve as a commander of an Australian infantry company and he lead Charlie Company during the battle of Kapyong. After the battle, Reg said, 'At last I feel like an ANZAC, and I suspect there were 600 others like me.'

In Darwin, on 24 April, to commemorate the Battle of Kapyong, a small gathering of ex-3rd Battalion Regiment and people who knew Korean veterans gather at the Darwin cenotaph. We do it each year to remember the extraordinary heroism and outstanding performance of the 3rd Battalion and all our Korean war veterans. The 3rd Battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the blue swimming pool, which is worn still to this day by members of 3rd Battalion.

The Battle of Kapyong was a fierce battle. Thirty-two Australians were killed and 59 were wounded. Just months later, the 3rd Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Frank Hassett, fought the battle of Maryan San. This time it was advancing not defending but it was again costly with 20 killed and 104 wounded.

The Royal Australian Regiment Association recently held its annual dinner in Canberra where the Hassett Trophy was awarded for outstanding junior leader in the Royal Australian Regiment for that year. This year it was awarded to mortar section commander, Corporal David Day, from 8/9 RAR. Congratulations, mate. Every year, members of the regiment and the wider Australian Defence Force and their families and parliamentarians travel to Korea to attend commemorations and to solemnly reflect on those lost in the Korean War.

One veteran of World War II, who is also a Korean war veteran and a Vietnam war veteran, Brigadier Jim Shelton, told us that he and all Korean War veterans are always very appreciative of the support and assistance they receive from the South Korean people whenever they visit South Korea. They remember as we should always remember the Korean War. Lest we forget.

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