Historical information

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.

Physical description

A black and white photograph of Denis Stanley Gibbons in 1940, aged three years. This family portrait was taken at Lithgow prior to going to Sydney to visit HMAS Sydney during an 'open day' prior to her sailing off to war. During the vist to Garden Island, I managed somehow to become disengaged from my mother and father each thinking the other had me with them. When they finally met up and no Denis in sight, panic became the order of the day. I was finally found below deck where some of the sailors had taken me and were giving me a grand time. They informed my mum and dad that had I not been found they were going to make me the Sydney's mascot. To this day when I recall this story l think of all those fine young sailors who lost their lives when Sydney was sunk by the German raider off the coast of Western Australia.