To the wives, partners and families of Vietnam veterans.
Your quiet courage carried a generation. While your loved ones faced the
turmoil of war, you held homes together, raised children, and carried burdens
often unseen.
You endured long silences, sleepless nights, and the return of men changed by
what they had witnessed. Through patience, strength, and steadfast love, you
became the anchor that steadied lives in the years that followed.
Your compassion bridged the gap between war and peace, giving dignity to
those who struggled to find their way home.
This testament honours not only what you gave, but what you preserved –
family, hope, and the enduring spirit of those who waited.
The story behind the tribute
Maureen Chambers
I had a one year old when he went and I was pregnant with our second child who was born on the 11 May 68. So he was at Coral when she was born. I had family around so that was .. they were supportive. Richards family and my family nearby and they were supportive of me which was really good, but it was very very hard because I went into hospital and Richard had written and said he was going to be out bush so not to expect a letter for a little while because he could be out for 4 weeks.
And I’d written and said to him… we thought the baby was going to be a boy and we kept saying we would call the baby Greg and that week I wrote to him and said.. I’ve had a dream, its not a boy, its going to be a girl and we’ll call it a girl. And then I didn’t get a letter for four weeks and then I got the letter to say he’d been out at Coral.
But while I was in the hospital, they said that 1st battalion had been hit and they said that all these soldiers had been killed and I thought “That’s it… I’m in hospital, they won’t find me, they wouldn’t even know where to look”.. because the Army had no contact with me for the time he was in Vietnam.
So I had no Army back-up at all, so I had no idea whether they would find me.
Did you think he was one of the casualties?
Initially yes, When I came out of hospital.. I stayed in hospital 5 days but they started to release names and as the names were released I started to relies it wasn’t him.. but it was a few days before they released the names so we could know that it wasn’t. And you think.. “Well it could be”.
That must’ve been terrible…
I was .. I was 19-20 years old.. Being so young too…
So tell me about the telegram that Richard receiving the telegram at Coral…
Well this is from Richard but also from some of the guys who were there at the time. They said they had a lot.. they were being bombed and it was a very difficult time and they said to get this news it was like a light… you know.. something bright and happy that happened (bad sound)
For myself, I think if I remember rightly, they might’ve got… because everything was slow in those days and Post Office was always on strike so it was a very difficult time as far as mail because we lived for letters.. I wrote everyday and he’s write most days and you’d live for the post man and they were constantly going on strike.
And even the telegram.. from memory I think Richard said they got it on the 13th, well I sent is… Sue was born was born on the 11th in the night.. late evening and they didn’t get it until another day and a bit before they got the telegram. All those things…they’re hard because its not like you can pick up the phone… Its wonderful that we’ve had a baby. It weeks before we got another letter even acknowledging that at the baby was born.
And I think for our daughter…..