Framed newspaper article from The Age dated 19/08/2006 about divisions caused by Australia's involvement in The Vietnam War. Article written by Christine Gillespie, sister of John Gillespie killed in Helicopter crash in Vietnam.christine gillespie, j.f gillespie, framed document

These medals were awarded to A317006 Leading Aircraftman Duncan Glen McNair, Royal Australian Air Force who served in Vietnam from the 20th February 1970 - 20th July 1970. Sadly Duncan Glen McNair died in a helicopter crash while on air operations on the 20th July 1970.Four replica medals are placed horizontally on a single line of a black board that sits on a black stand. The first three medals are silver colour with three different ribbons. The last medal is gold colour with green and white alternate ribbon. royal australian air force, leading aircraftman duncan glen mcnair, 9 squadron raaf, replica medals

White Wooden Cross with red knitted poppy with green and black centre. The name McNair, Duncan Glen A317006 is stenciled on in black. An Australian flag has been fixed on the back of the Cross. Rank - Leading Aircraftman - Royal Australian Airforce. He died in 3rd US Field Hospital Saigon on the 20th July 1970 after a helicopter crash in Phuoc Tuy Province. He was Born in WonthaggiMcNair, Duncan Glen A317006cross, royal australian airforce, mcnair, duncan glen

Colour Photo in Gold Frame. Burgandy Mat crashed Wessex Helicopter- Shoalwater Bay 1966 7 RAR Badge/ British Marine helicpoter.SHOALWATER BAY 1966. Donated by PTE LYALL CLAYTON,TPT PLATOON,ADMIN coy.7 RAR.7 rar, wessex (helicopter)

Denis Gibbons (1937 – 2011) Trained with the Australian Army, before travelling to Vietnam in January 1966, Denis stayed with the 1st Australian Task Force in Nui Dat working as a photographer. For almost five years Gibbons toured with nine Australian infantry battalions, posting compelling war images from within many combat zones before being flown out in late November 1970 after sustaining injuries. The images held within the National Vietnam Veterans Museum make up the Gibbons Collection.A black and white photograph of Craftsman Ian M. McKenzie and Craftsman Geoffrey Pike, 161 (Indep) Recce Flt asist an American recovery vehicle crew in the collection and return of the remains of Lt. Ross Hutchinsons' Sioux helicopter after it crashed into a mine field.photograph, 161 recon flt, craftsman ian mckenzie, craftsman geoffrey pike, sioux (helicopter), lt ross hutchinson, gibbons collection catalogue, american recovery specialist, denis gibbons, mine field

Denis Gibbons (1937 – 2011) Trained with the Australian Army, before travelling to Vietnam in January 1966, Denis stayed with the 1st Australian Task Force in Nui Dat working as a photographer. For almost five years Gibbons toured with nine Australian infantry battalions, posting compelling war images from within many combat zones before being flown out in late November 1970 after sustaining injuries. The images held within the National Vietnam Veterans Museum make up the Gibbons Collection. A black and white photograph of Capt Peter Robinson MBE (Member Of The Order Of The British Empire) Engineering Officer 161 (Indep) Recce Flight makes a point with an American Recovery Specialist outside the 1st Australian Task Force Base at Nui Dat, during the recovery of Lt Ross Hutchinsons' Sioux Helicopter which had crashed.photograph, capt peter robinson, 161 recon flt, lt ross hutchinson, sioux helicpoter, gibbons collection catalogue, 1st atf base, member of the order of the british empire (mbe), american recovery specialist, denis gibbons

This is a set of two photographs of Royal Australian Survey Corps and RAAF personnel on survey operations in PNG and possibly Indonesia circa 1975. The identified surveyor - Peter Presser served 20 years in the Australian Regular Army from 1970 to 1990. The UH-1H Iroquois helicopter (serial number partially obscured) appearing in photo 6339.2P was probably A2-379. From 1957 helicopter transport of survey parties revolutionised transport in remote areas. The most common helicopter used by the Royal Australian Survey Corps (RA Svy) up to 1972 was the civilian Bell 47G-2 and the Sioux Light Observation Helicopters (LOH), the Australian Army’s equivalent. These light observation helicopters had a limiting load carrying capacity of up to about 500 pounds. By comparison, one Aerodist team including two people weighed up to 1,500 pounds. After No. 9 Squadron (9SQN) RAAF (Iroquois helicopters) withdrew with the Australian force from Vietnam in December 1971, RAAF supported RA Svy operations with the UH-1H Iroquois helicopter for tasks of transport and resupply of survey teams. The UH-1H was capable of carrying at least three times that of the smaller Bell 47G-2/Sioux LOH helicopter and could also winch personnel and stores into difficult locations. A2-379 crashed killing the aircraft captain (FLTLT Ralph Taylor 9SQN) on impact and seriously injuring four near Wamena, Irian Jaya, Indonesia on survey Operation Cenderawasih 1977 (supporting 2 Fd Svy Sqn – Doppler satellite survey). Source: Royal Australian Survey Corps – Aerodist Years 1964-1975 by Peter Jensen.This is a set of two photographs of Royal Australian Survey Corps and RAAF personnel on survey operations in PNG and possibly Indonesia circa 1975. The photographs were printed on photographic paper and are part of the Army Survey Regiment’s Collection. The photographs were scanned at 300 dpi. .1) - Colour, black & white, c1975, Peter Presser undertaking survey observations in PNG with a Wild T2 Theodolite. .2) - Photo, black & white, c1975. Survey operations L to R: unidentified (x2), Peter Presser, unidentified. .1P and .2P – No annotations. royal australian survey corps, rasvy, army survey regiment, army svy regt, fortuna, asr

The collapse of one arch of the London Bridge rock formation on January 15th 1990 was a significant event for Peterborough residents.London Bridge is a major local tourist attraction. Prior to the collapse tourists could walk across the arches onto the rock platform and it was a regular fishing spot. The collapse of the arch was a significant event for the town. The site is still an important tourist stop. The rockfall occurred after two recent events - a helicopter hit the arch and crashed, no one injured; and the earthquake in Newcastle NSW.Two full page articles about the rock formation London Bridge falling down, and the people who were stranded on the rock platformlondon bridge, london bridge rock formation, rock collapse, great ocean road, peterborough

The Forests Commission developed the use of helicopters for aerial ignition from the mid 1960s. Bryant and May at Richmond worked with the Commission to develop a Delayed Action Incendiary Device. DAIDs as the were known, had an overall length of 180 mm, striker end length - 10 mm. Ignition end length - 80 mm, then a layer of high melting point wax (to prevent accidental ignition when rubbing together in transit). Both ends coated with a modified match head compound with safety fuse exposed length between coated match ends. There was a 17-second delay from when the small end was struck to an intense flaming of the large end, which lasted for 40 seconds. DAIDs were dangerous so were stored in a metal box outside the helicopter along with a disposable striker patch attached with a quick release pin to a special half-door. The first test was with a Bell 47G on 4 October 1967 and the first use, anywhere in the world, of DAIDs to backburn a large bushfire was undertaken in north eastern Victoria in February 1968. There was a crash of an FCV helicopter conducting aerial ignition near Wandiligong on 19 April 1978 with the tragic death of two forest officers and their pilot. The crash led to the immediate end of the use of DAIDs and the adoption of the safer Premo ping-pong ball incendiary machine which originally came from Canada but was modified at the Altona workshops. Overall, the development of aerial ignition techniques by the Forests Commission from the mid-1960s resulted in a steady climb in the area burnt each year…. peaking at 477,000 ha in 1980-81 and with an impressive 10-year rolling average of 220,000 ha around the time of 1983 Ash Wednesday Bushfires.Developed in Victoria for aerial ignitionLarge double ended match used for aerial ignition and back burning by dropping from a helicopterbushfire, forests commission victoria (fcv)

The Forests Commission developed the use of helicopters for aerial ignition from the mid 1960s. Bryant and May at Richmond worked with the Commission to develop a Delayed Action Incendiary Device. DAIDs as the were known, had an overall length of 180 mm, striker end length - 10 mm. Ignition end length - 80 mm, then a layer of high melting point wax (to prevent accidental ignition when rubbing together in transit). Both ends coated with a modified match head compound with safety fuse exposed length between coated match ends. There was a 17-second delay from when the small end was struck to an intense flaming of the large end, which lasted for 40 seconds. DAIDs were dangerous so were stored in a metal box outside the helicopter along with a disposable striker patch attached with a quick release pin to a special half-door. The first test was with a Bell 47G on 4 October 1967 and the first use, anywhere in the world, of DAIDs to backburn a large bushfire was undertaken in north eastern Victoria in February 1968. There was a crash of an FCV helicopter conducting aerial ignition near Wandiligong on 19 April 1978 with the tragic death of two forest officers and their pilot. The crash led to the immediate end of the use of DAIDs and the adoption of the safer Premo ping-pong ball incendiary machine which originally came from Canada but was modified at the Altona workshops. Overall, the development of aerial ignition techniques by the Forests Commission from the mid-1960s resulted in a steady climb in the area burnt each year…. peaking at 477,000 ha in 1980-81 and with an impressive 10-year rolling average of 220,000 ha around the time of 1983 Ash Wednesday Bushfires.Developed in Victoria for aerial ignition by the FCV and Byant & MayLarge double ended match used for aerial ignition and back burning by dropping from a helicopterforests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, planned burning

Denis Gibbons (1937 – 2011) Trained with the Australian Army, before travelling to Vietnam in January 1966, Denis stayed with the 1st Australian Task Force in Nui Dat working as a photographer. For almost five years Gibbons toured with nine Australian infantry battalions, posting compelling war images from within many combat zones before being flown out in late November 1970 after sustaining injuries. The images held within the National Vietnam Veterans Museum make up the Gibbons Collection.A black and white photograph of a 161 (Indep) Recce Flt 'Possum' rotary wing helicopter flies over the remains of Lt Ross Hutchinsons' 'Bent Possum' lying crashed, in a minefield, as a maintenance mechanic from the unit waits for the arrival of an American recovery vehicle.photograph, 161 reconnaissance flight, lt ross hutchinson, gibbons collection catalogue, bent possum (helicopter), minefield, denis gibbons

The last Australian soldier to be listed as missing in action was Lance Corporal John Francis Gillespie of 8 Field Ambulance. On 17 April 1971 Gillespie was serving as a helicopter medic during a 'dustoff' (helicopter medical evacuation) operation in the Long Hai hills in Phuoc Tuy province. Four South Vietnamese Regional Force soldiers had been injured by a mine explosion and the difficult terrain demanded a helicopter evacuation. But the Long Hai hills were an insecure landing zone. The caves and dense timber of the Long Hais had long harboured a major Viet Cong base area and the dustoff operation required the protection of helicopter gunships. As the first wounded soldier was being winched up, the hovering helicopter was hit by enemy machine-gun fire. It crashed to the ground and burst into flames. Although the crew escaped, Lance Corporal Gillespie and three other soldiers were engulfed in the fireball. A helicopter crewman, Corporal Robert Stephens, repeatedly entered the burning aircraft and tried in vain to rescue Gillespie, until being forced back by the flames. Stephens was later awarded the British Empire Medal for his courage. Gillespie's body could not be recovered from the burning wreckage which was reduced to slag by the fire. Private Gillespie was listed as missing in action, apparently on a technicality because his remains could not be found. The classification was subsequently altered to killed in action.Stainless steel open ended bracelet with missing serviceman's full name and date missing. In a buff square satin lined box.MIA John Francis Gillespie 17/04/71mia, john francis gillespie, l/cpl john francis gillespie, 3170244, royal australian army medical corps, 8th field ambulance, cpl robert stephens, killed in action