Naval Association honours veterans of Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation
The Naval Association of Australia (Qld) will honour the Royal Australian Navy veterans of the two conflicts on Thursday 26 May at 11am at the Jack Tar Memorial at Southbank in Brisbane.
According to the Association, in 1955 shiploads of teenage Royal Australian Navy sailors, just out of junior recruit school, were deployed to South East Asia as part of the Far East Strategic Reserve (FESR). They were heading out to take part in the Malayan Emergency (1950–63). After the nation of Malaysia was founded, the war then became known as the Indonesian Confrontation, when President Sukarno attacked the new country.
Many of the sailors then went on to fight in Vietnam, having been veterans of three wars before they were 21.
The senior ship of the 16th Minesweeping Squadron, the Ton class minesweeper HMAS Hawk, refuels from the Tide class fleet tanker HMAS Supply. HMAS Hawk was en route to the Malaysian Borneo States to take up patrol duties during Confrontation.