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Service support: Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Ballarat Sub-Branch president Sandy McCaff, and vice-president Rick Williams (far right) received a donation from Lillingston Charitable trustees Joanne Thomson and Morgan Murphy on Sunday, December 3, 2023. Photo: TIM BOTTAMS
Episode 2670 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the tremendous donation made to the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Ballarat Sub-Branch. The featured story appeared in The Ballarat Times and was titled Cash presented for veterans’ support. It submitted by Tim Bottams.
The Australians were extremely effective allies during the American Vietnam War. That was clearly attested to by their performance at the Battle of Long Tan. In a rubber plantation near Vung Tau. On August 18, 1966, a force of 115 Australians and New Zealanders encountered a force of 2, 200 NVA troops intent upon wiping them off the face of the earth. Showing their toughness and fighting abilities, the Australians prevailed and won the battle.
In his story Bottams reports that members of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Ballarat Sub-Branch gave a collective gasp with the announcement of a sizeable donation during their annual Christmas dinner for 2023
The news came on Sunday afternoon at the Golf House Hotel where representatives of the Lillingston Charitable Trust presented the group of about 70 people with $150,000.
The Vietnam Veteran Association of Australia was established in the late 1970s with the aim of delivering welfare, advocacy, and support services for service people and families involved in the titular war.
The Ballarat Sub-Branch currently has 82 active members and more than 100 people registered.
The trust supports causes in the name of Irene and Les Lillingston, with the former being one of the ‘Lucas girls’ who helped establish the Arch of Victory and Avenue of Honor, and the latter having served in World War Two.
Morgan Murphy was one of two Lillingston Charitable trustees who presented the funds and said VVAA was an ideal recipient for the money given the founder’s history.
Listen to Episode 2670 and discover more about the tremendous donation made to the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Ballarat Sub-Branch.
