In an afternoon ceremony, AVCAT Chair Major General Bill Crews AO (Retd) presented Ms Victoria Benz of DVA with a plaque recognising DVA’s long-term support of AVCAT and the Long Tan Bursary.
Bill Crews commented on the broad impact of a scholarship like the Long Tan Bursary. ‘It is not only the child or grandchild who is lifted up by this assistance but the veteran and the whole family’.
AVCAT scholar and Long Tan Bursary recipient Chelsea Bates said, ‘There were times when my dream of pursuing a higher education seemed unachievable, but the financial assistance has helped me tremendously and kept me going… I could not be more grateful to have received the scholarship and continue as a full-time student one step closer to achieving my academic goals.’
DVA has been supporting the Long Tan Bursary for more than 20 years. The impact of this long-term support is significant in the lives of our scholars and their families.
The Long Tan Bursary helps eligible children and grandchildren of Vietnam Veterans with the cost of tertiary education. Each year, 37 bursaries are awarded to successful applicants across Australia. The Long Tan Bursary is named after the Battle of Long Tan, the best‑known battle fought by Australians during the Vietnam War.
‘The Battle of Long Tan was fought between the Australian Army and Viet Cong (VC) forces on 18 August 1966. They met in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan, about 27 km northeast of Vung Tau, South Vietnam.
The battle occurred when D Company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR), encountered the VC 275 Regiment and elements of the D445 Local Forces Battalion. Other Australian units supported D Company, as well as New Zealand and United States personnel.
In torrential rain, just as daylight was fading, the Australian unit endured 3 hours of intense fighting as they held off an enemy force that outnumbered them 10 to one until relief arrived.
The Battle of Long Tan was one of the fiercest battles fought by Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War, with 18 Australians killed and 25 wounded. It is often used in Australian officer training as an example of coordinating infantry, artillery, armour and military aviation.’ 1
Thank you to DVA for continuing to make a difference, and transforming lives through education.
- Information on the Battle of Long Tan sourced from DVA’s website – click here to see the page ↩︎