05 November 2015
FEDERAL Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce said as the New England Electorate prepares to pause for Remembrance Day on 11 November, a new publication by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs marks the contribution of Chinese Anzacs.
Mr Joyce said Chinese Anzacs explores the challenges of being an Australian soldier of Chinese ancestry and examines some individual’s experiences during wartime and their return to civilian life.
He said Billy Sing, who enlisted as a trooper in the 5th Australian Light Horse Regiment, was famous for his deadly accuracy on the heights above Anzac Cove and is reported to have shot more than 200 enemy soldiers, earning one nickname as the ‘crack shot of the Anzacs’.
“Billy Sing was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal [DCM] for conspicuous gallantry from May to September, 1915 at Anzac as a sniper.
“He was wounded on Gallipoli but on recovery he went to the Western Front in France where he expressed his sadness in a letter to home at the vast number of soldiers ‘lying half-buried in no man’s-land’.
Mr Joyce said after the war, Billy Sing was granted a soldier settlement block near Clermont in Central Queensland which he named ‘Pernois’ after a rest camp in France. But the quality of land was poor and, like many other soldier settlers, he walked off the block and tried his hand at gold mining and labouring.
Mr Joyce also reminded Year 9 and 10 students in 2015 in the New England Electorate of the Honouring Australian Vietnam Veterans’ competition. It invites them to research and enter a written, multimedia or creative response on any two individuals or groups who served in the Vietnam war.
He said this included RAR, RAN, RAAF, medical, dog handlers, SAS and engineers.
Mr Joyce said the competiton asks what was their role and contribution and why is it important to honour their service and remember this part of Australia’s wartime history?
Written entries should include a research essay up to 1500 words in length. The total word count includes quotes but not references or a full bibliography. A word count should be provided at the end of the written response.
Multimedia responses can include and are not limited to: Video, Short Film, Mobile/Tablet Application, Power Point, Animation and Website. Creative responses can include and are not limited to: Arts performance (completed by an individual only), Poetry recital, Dance, Play, Monologue, Museum exhibition or Diorama, Music composition, Artwork, Painting, Photography, Drawing, Sculpture, Poster and Needlework.
For more detail click on http://www.anzacportal.dva.gov.au/competitions/honouring-australian-vietnam-veterans
Wining students will participate in a three-day Canberra Commemorative Program from 17 to 19 August, 2016 to visit cultural institutions and to attend a commemorative event on Vietnam Veterans’ Day.
For more information on the Chinese Anzacs book, contact the Commemorations Branch, Department of Veterans Affiars, GPO Box 9998, Canberra, ACT, 2601. Telephone [02] 6289 1111 or email education@dva.gov.au
