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Courtesy – NSW Government
Episode 2496 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how students at a high school in Sydney, Australia honored its Vietnam Veterans. The featured story comes from the New South Wales Government website and is titled, Lest we forget – school honors its Vietnam veterans. It was submitted by Linda Doherty.
Australia was an important ally for the U.S. in the American Vietnam War. As with other allies in that war, the Australians and New Zealanders show appreciation for the services of their countrymen and women in Vietnam.
Doherty reported in her story that Aussie Vietnam Vet Ken Stevenson collaborated with Sydney Technical High School to create an honor board for former students who served in the Vietnam War. He described it as a “Hands-on history” project.
Mr. Stevenson, president of the Teachers RSL Sub-branch and an Old Boy of ‘Tech High’, has spent three years collaborating with students, teachers and military historians to source the names of 91 former students who went to war.
On April 6, 2023, The Vietnam War honor board was dedicated by the NSW Governor, Her Excellency the Honorable Margaret Beazley, in the presence of Premier Chris Minns, Major-General Paul Irving, RSL NSW President Ray James, Department of Education officials and school staff and students, who led the ceremony.
In Vietnam Stevenson served at the First Australian Task force headquarters at Nui Dat and with the Psychological Operations Unit, driving trucks and open Land Rovers for 312 days.
On his return to Australia he worked at Heathcote High School as a mathematics teacher, before spending four years in Papua New Guinea as a missionary linguist.
For many years Mr. Stevenson was mathematics head teacher at Sydney Technical College in Ultimo, where Sydney Technical High School was originally located, and currently lectures in statistics at the University of New South Wales.
Listen to episode 2496 and discover more about how students at a high school in Sydney, Australia honored its Vietnam Veterans.
