It was a hellish time for 20 year old males in the 60s, and for many, it's still a hellish time even now trying to deal mentally with what the despot politicians dished out to them ... and many never got their jobs back after their two years of enslavement, even though they were told they could get them back. Lives were ruined, relationships fell apart, families grieved for lost conscripted sons in the war. Failing to register meant two years in a concrete cell, and jails weren't hotels like they are today

The politicians, the courts and the public were quite indifferent to the destroyed lives of thousands of young men. We haven't forgotten, I was one also

I can't make it to Melbourne, but I wish them well on the day

A bit from an email I received from NashoFairGo....

"Saturday looks like being a great day for us. We have men coming from as far as Queensland and WA to be with us. We also have members of the Vietnam Veterans groups joining us. It's going to be a wonderful day. Please join us."

Future generations must make sure conscription never happens again in Australia. Politicians on all sides, no matter how well intentioned, just simply can't be trusted, neither can the general public ... the thousands of conscripts who weren't selected to go to Vietnam, got absolutely nothing after discharge and many were left unemployed. For Vietnam Veterans, it was not until 1987 that they had their home coming parade, no one would welcome them home in the 14 years before that, from the time Australia pulled out of the hell hole. I lost all respect and faith in the Parliament and general public because of that ... you don't deserve a defense force if you ignore a home coming for that length of time, you welcome them home as soon as they get home

I believe Channel 7 will be covering the event

It should be the hope of everyone that no politicians turn up at this solemn event, except if they desire to express a very sincere apology for threatening young civilian laborers and tradesman with jail time in the 1960s. We were trying to get ahead in life just like everyone else, when suddenly, the political Mafia in Canberra decided that they will severely punish thousands of young men whose birth dates happened to correspond with numbers on stupid little marbles in a stupid spinning barrel, just like they were playing with a Christmas toy when they were infants ... the "infant" never left them

Conscription  should be illegal by a constitution
unless Australian soil is directly attacked.

Bobby. wrote on Dec 10^th, 2022 at 1:10pm:


Conscription should be illegal anyway, it's only enslavement by one lot of humans over another lot of humans

My neighbors in my village don't tell me what to do, and I don't tell them what to do

But if they ask, I jump in and help out. I've done that a few times already, and they've assisted me on occasions

My neighbors don't say: "We'll kick you in the head if you don't help us" ... which is what the Lib and Lab politicians imply when they want you to do something for them 

If Australia was directly attacked, we wouldn't need conscription, there'd be millions of multi-race multiculturals voluntarily rushing to meet the invaders, waving their national flags, led by Clare O'Neil and Penny Wong, scaring the contemptible invaders off ... how dare you?, they'd cry

AusGeoff wrote on Dec 11^th, 2022 at 4:45am:


Thanks, I just ordered that paperback ... should be good reading. I'll know most of it, but it will be a good record to keep in the family for future reference, of how politicians can ruin young lives en masse

It's interesting, that now, the military does the opposite of everything they did in the 60s for us conscripts. Now, they encourage trade skills, have better pay, benefits and support ... it's still lacking, evidenced by the high suicide rate. But there was nothing for us in the 60s, we were broke all the time, we got no opportunities in our trades, no voluntary support from the Army after discharge, no compensation .. we simply got nothing

I should never have filled out the registration form, that was my big mistake. Filling out that form was giving consent to the two years enslavement. The Government's lawyers were laughing in our faces, I reckon

Instead, I should have left the big city and gone fruit picking or something, around the countryside for two years, cash in hand, it's what we all should have done

We also should remember that at the time of conscription, our police forces were as corrupt as any third-world country, taking bribes and with their code of silence. Organized crime was thriving, both in Australia and the US. A President and his brother were assassinated in the US. Mafia bosses in Australia and the US owned politicians. The illicit drug trade was well underway. Politicians visiting prostitutes. And a compulsory voting system to keep it all going

Yet here we were telling ourselves that we were better than any other countries around the world. We needed to look in the mirror before picking on a little South East Asian nation that was desperately fighting to try and not be like us. They taught us a lesson didn't they, because ever since then, we are striving to be like them

Bias_2012 wrote on Dec 10^th, 2022 at 1:09am:


Were you sent to Vietnam?

Aussie wrote on Dec 11^th, 2022 at 11:53am:


Bias?

Belgarion wrote on Dec 11^th, 2022 at 11:45am:


That was certainly true in the sixties, we were left completely disillusioned by the Government's and the Military's lack of respect for us young tradesmen who'd just finished our apprenticeships. All the trade positions that were available were filled by the first intake, and how many intakes were there?, ten was it?


Belgarion wrote on Dec 11^th, 2022 at 11:45am:


I couldn't agree more, but I don't think it's conscription in that case, it's more like "Putting the Nation on a war footing", where the Government directs everything that goes on in the nation ... whatever you do, you end up being involved in, and working for the war effort ... everyone shares the responsibility

That should have happened during the Vietnam war, but as it was, most of the voting public couldn't have given a bugger about Vietnam, let alone know where it was. I looked up a world map, the politicians and the Army told us nothing about anything, we were just chattel with numbers, like so many Jews. They sheared our hair off down to the scalp, only to let us grow it back again close where it was before durrr. Do they do that shoring down to the scalp to recruits in today's military?