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| Sweethearts of Song: Carolyn, Kathie, Susie & Maree at Twin Towns |
There are times when
opportunities arise for the ‘Sweethearts of Song’ to step outside the bounds of
business-as-usual; occasions to spread their proverbial wings, and fly they did
on 16th August at the River Room of the Twin Towns Services Club in
Tweed Heads, as the featured entertainment for a very special reunion, ‘Call
Sign VAMPIRE’ the 1st Australian Field Hospital, (1 AFH). These were the men and women who make up an efficient
hospital in a war zone; (doctors, nurses,
theatre technicians, transport, catering, Q Store, pathology, psychiatry,
dental, x-ray, medics, Red Cross, Chaplains, and outside work parties) whose
bond was formed during the Vietnam War, strengthened by their experiences,
never diminished by time; memories and friendships to last a lifetime.
On this evening, any decline in
mobility appeared to have been nullified by an overdose of joie de vivre as around
110 very stylish men and women gathered for ‘happy hour’ before being ushered
into the dining area for their official dinner. Conspicuous by its metaphor was the ‘missing
man table’ the table and empty chair reserved to honour those lost serving men
and women who could not be present this day. The blessing and symbolic dressing of this
table, on this occasion by Father William (Bill) Crossman, is a binding tradition at any reunion prior to
getting the party started.
Always one to allow his spontaneous
wit to be a part of a good time, our Tom performed his role as emcee with his
usual savoir faire, ushering Kathleen, Susie, Carolyn, and Maree to their
microphones and with their first bracket of upbeat Andrews Sisters’ songs, ‘The
Sweethearts of Song’ had everyone ‘positively, absolutely in the mood’ for a jolly
good time.
Normie Rowe has been a singer
atop the Australian pop charts as well as a dynamic stage presence during the
1960s. However, despite his singing
career being cut short by a call-up for a tour of duty in Vietnam, his
reputation still today has been strengthened by the support he has been able to
give on behalf of so many Vietnam veterans.
It was truly an honour to have Normie Rowe come to Twin Towns as guest
speaker at this reunion. Normie spoke
emotively, sometimes light heartedly, of his own experiences as Crew Commander
of an Armoured Personnel Carrier but was also sincere with his expression of
gratitude for the work of this group of ‘medics’ who were always a presence for
so many who needed to be kept alive. He
was also sincere with his retort when asked to sing…”NO!”
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| The Sweethearts of Song with Normie Rowe |
However, this was not the case
with the ‘Sweethearts of Song’ and as the conga line of diners continued to
fill their plates and glasses, and with Lloyd well practised at the audio
controls, the girls sparkled and sang their repertoire of swinging sounds of
the 60s and 70s for the remainder of the evening, many guests unable to resist
the urge to leave their seats and bop and boogie to the beat of so many
familiar songs.
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| Sweethearts of Song: Kathie, Susie, Carolyn & Maree |
To have been invited to sing, to
be accommodated in such salubrious surroundings, and be an integral part of
this biennial reunion; to hear the stories that have become a connection to
their truth, a reminder of who these people were and why they have become who
they are today, has truly been a memory we Sweethearts will treasure
always. To Call Sign ‘Vampire’ (1 AFH) we
give our sincere thanks.
By: Sue Walker
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| Friends of the choir, Peter and Moira Curtain. |
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| 1st Australian Field Hospital, Call Sign Vampire, Reunion 2022 |
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| Theatre Technicians who served with the 1AFH Vung Tau, Vietnam Tom Byrne, Steve Pearsall, Rudi Everts, Leon Pollard, Peter Curtain, Andy Menere, & George Russell |
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| Vietnam Veteran Day at the South Tweed Sports Club |
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