Women's Health Week 2025

14% of serving ADF or Veterans in the 2021 Census were women. By 2035 it is estimated to be 35% Adding to the numbers above, are the partners and families who make up the wider Defence community, which highlights the need to discuss and promote women's health and wellbeing topics and initiatives.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is particularly keen to encourage women within the Defence community to engage with Women's Health Week 2025.

It runs from 1 - 5 September and the week includes free events that will cover topics such as health checks, pain, hormones and food.

Obviously any woman (Defence, veteran or otherwise) will benefit from this initiative being run by Jean Hailes and is funded partially by the Australian Government.

To receive your five days of health tips, recipes, resources or to attend one of the many events being held in September, head to Women's Health Week to sign up. Public events including in-person and online will be listed on Jean's website in the lead up to 1 September. Visit now by clicking on the link above and check out what is being offered.

If you sign up and get involved, please comment below and tell me (Ro6in) what you thought of the program and if there were any benefits for you. I'd love to hear.

Preparing for Fathers Day - 7 September 25

Hurry! Buy your tickets for our Fathers' Day Raffle. 

For the last few years we have been running Fathers' Day raffles as part of our fundraising program. This year we're running behind schedule, but we believe we'll make it on time thanks to our member volunteers, Kym M and Jan T who unfortunately had to hand over due to an accident.

The business owners and people of Barossa are extremely generous and we've received a rich harvest of stock items, vouchers etc, to support our annual effort. A few photos and a description of what we have raised appear below. If you are a recipient of the Weekly Digest, you will have seen most of this list.

It could be YOU waving!

We have had had donated a:

1. helicopter voucher (First prize)
2. top of the range Langmeil The Fifth Wave Grenache 2017 in a beautiful box
3. carton of three bottles of Charles Melton wines
4. Custom Hawaii shirt and a bucket hat (Barossa Rams Rugby Club)
5. vouchers from The Clubhouse (2 x $50)
6. Lyndavale Valley Butchers voucher for $50
7. vouchers from The Ministry of Wine (3 x $30)
8. Something to collect from Mitre 10 before Friday
9. half day Barossa wine tour including morning tea at the historic Annlaby Station
10. Lavendar Farm gift pack with a value over $100
11. Gibson wine pack
12. Tanunda Pines Golf Club one 18 hole voucher
13. voucher from Barossa Bowland for 4 people for 1 Game Bowling plus one Dinosaur Mini Golf Entry plus one Dino Maze and Walk  

Our organising sub-committee has already decided that the helicopter flight will be first prize. Shortly we will decide which items will be aggregated to make up several other prizes. When you buy a ticket, you'll know that whatever prize you get, it will be of good value. So buy up big, tickets are a tiny $2 per ticket.

Tickets are on sale at the sub-branch Hut when open and will be available at the Nuriootpa Kiosk outside Barossa Fresh on Wednesday, 27 August 25.

The draw will take place on Friday, 5 September immediately before Fathers' Day.

Our Management Committee and Members are overwhelmed by the generosity of our community and are greatly appreciative.

Vietnam Veterans' Day 2025

Have you visited us yet? Fridays from 5 pm at Tanunda Recreation Park. Visitors including supervised children are welcome. 

Every year on 18 August we commemorate Vietnam Veterans' Day. It falls on the day of one of our most significant battles, the Battle of Long Tan. On that day, 18 brave men sacrificed their lives to protect our freedoms and democracy. Many more were injured and had their lives changed forever.

"Our Vietnam" an Exciting New Publication in time for Vietnam Veterans' Day

Have you visited us yet? Fridays from 5 pm at Tanunda Recreation Park. Visitors are welcome.

Click to view larger image

The author Guy Hall wrote to our sub-branch about this new publication that is timely for Vietnam Veterans' Day:

"I am a serving member of the ADF and the son of a Vietnam veteran. In 1999, as the child of a veteran of that long and difficult war, I published a short memoir of my experiences, titled Our Vietnam. 

I have now independently re-published that small (70-page) book as part of my One Night Read collection. This time, I am proud to say that I am doing so in collaboration with my own adult children. The official launch of the book will be conducted at the Norfolk Island RSL sub-branch on the 20th August 2025, the week of Vietnam Veterans Day. 

Through my words and my daughter’s moving illustrations, I hope to give a new generation of readers an insight into the impact the Vietnam War had on families and the veterans who returned home.

In doing so, I also hope to inspire a wider audience to reflect upon the consequences of war, any war. 

With Vietnam Veterans Day approaching, I hope that my little book might be of interest to your members and their families. I have attached a flyer about the book, including links to our Tiny Fish Publishing website, where your members can select their retailer of choice for purchasing the book online. (https://tinyfishpublishing.com/)"

Australians in the Korean War

Have you visited us yet? Fridays from 5 pm at Tanunda Recreation Park. Visitors are welcome.

Today is Korean Veterans Day, a day to remember our veterans. This article by Karla Rey tells their story:

Five years after the end of the Second World War, Australians from across the services became involved in the Korean War.

The conflict was a bloody theatre in the early stages of the Cold War, officially taking place between 1950-1953. The conflict came to an uneasy end when an armistice was signed on the 27th of July, 1953, keeping the Korean Peninsula divided along the 38th parallel.

Beginning in the early hours of the 25th of June 1950, this intense and devastating three-year conflict began as the Korean People’s Army (KPA) launched a massive offensive into South Korea along the 38th Parallel.

General Van Fleet, General Officer Commanding, 8th US Army (far left) inspects members of the 3rd Battalion (3RAR), when bestowing the Presidential citation in recognition of the Unit’s action at Kapyong, Korea. Image: Australian War Memorial

Australia became the second country to commit personnel from across the services to the war as part of the 930,000-strong United Nations Force that was raised to repel the North Korean, Soviet, and Chinese aggression in the South of the Peninsula. More than 17,000 Australians from all three services were sent to Korea, where 340 were killed and over 1,216 wounded. 29 Australians became prisoners of war during the period.

As part of the commitment to the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, Australia had two deployable Royal Australian Navy vessels, HMAS Shoalhaven and HMAS Bataan, along with No.77 Squadron RAAF ready to be committed. The RAN assets were committed on June 28th by Prime Minister Robert Menzies, and No.77 Squadron was also committed several days later. By July 26, 3RAR was committed to ground operations.

Australians were involved in decisive moments during the conflict, including at Kapyong, where 3RAR and other Commonwealth units halted the advance of Chinese forces towards the southern capital of Seoul. For the collective heroism displayed during this action, the Battalion was awarded the United States Presidential Unit Citation.

Australia’s reputation for patrolling and raising, previously established during the First and Second World Wars, was furthered by the efforts of the men of 1RAR, 3RAR, and later 2RAR, who quickly established themselves as a formidable force during the middle stages of the war in 1952 and through to the later stages in 1953.