00:00Set amongst sparkling sea and lush rolling hills, the Vietnam War Memorial Walk officially
00:08opened on South Australia's York Peninsula, with a crowd gathering to take part in formalities.
00:14This is what's magnificent about Australia, that we can take in our nature, take in this
00:18stunning vista, but also make it a meaningful memorial walk.
00:22I'm just very, very proud of everyone involved.
00:24It's just a testament to the way the community embraces their veterans.
00:28But it hasn't always been that way.
00:31Roger Hogben, who developed the walk alongside his friend John Edwards, served in the Vietnam
00:36War in 1969.
00:38He says he wasn't welcome at an Anzac Day event upon his return to Australia.
00:42I threw my RSL badge, which I had, in the gutter and left it there.
00:48Never went near an RSL nor an Anzac Day march for probably 30 years.
00:54He says now the animosity has dissipated and he wears his medals with pride.
00:58We now need to tell our stories as they were, and this is the opportunity for us to do that.
01:06It's like an old saying, it's better late than never, isn't it?
01:09The walk stretches from Edithburg to Gabaui, with laser cut signs featuring information
01:15about every Australian unit that served in Vietnam.
01:19They've been designed to withstand the elements, with organisers hoping they'll still be here
01:23for the 100th anniversary of the war ending.
01:26The event was held on Vietnam Veterans Day, which this year marks 50 years since the end
01:31of the war, with John Schumann and the Vagabond crew, formerly known as Red Gum, performing
01:37and reflecting on its legacy.
01:39You cannot discount the bravery and the commitment of the men and women who went.
01:47Remembering and commemorating 50 years on.
01:50Let's get into it.
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