Commemorative Project

07/29/05

The Full Story!

Following, I now place all the relevant documentation in relation to the matter of the “commemorative walk” and tree-planting matter concerning local Vietnam veterans and the Shellharbour City Council on the record for public consumption.

Please register your support at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/vvlm230/petition.html

Please read the following BEFORE you read those documents:

The following letters and documents relate to the matter of the community project undertaken by a small group of local Vietnam veterans and their wives at a sporting field in the Shellharbour City Council.

This matter has created enormous interest locally and internationally, following an e-mail I sent out regarding the Council’s refusal to allow the men to put up a plaque at the ground, after they had planted over 200 trees as part of a “commemorative walk” project.

Council responded with a nasty e-mail, in which, instead of answering the specific questions asked of it by veterans from around the world, they sought instead to discredit me, and pit me against local veteran organizations who hadn’t been involved- the old divide, and conquer routine. It was scurrilous, slanderous, and, as these documents will prove, a lie.

Some veterans folded and ran as soon as the first bullets flew, much as it happened in Vietnam. More courageous vets have contacted me, and pledged their support. I thank them for that.

I had intended to send this correspondence out to individuals to get unbiased opinions, since there are two sides to the story. But I have decided to create a simple web site to put all the relevant documentation on, for the full view of all vets around the world.

At the outset, I said I was dealing with individuals of dubious character. Now judge them for yourself. Read this documentation carefully, then read again my version and Council’s response.

I’ll stand judged by my peers.

I make this clear, no local veterans’ organization was involved in the matter, simply because this was an initiative that arose out of the Lifestyle Program, at which small groups are encouraged to bond in doing such things all around Australia.

This was never meant as a slight to those other organizations that might have gotten their collective noses out of joint.

Don Tate

(PS. A number of the veterans from the group have been hospitalised with serious matters since the tree-planting project. )

The Chronological Sequence:

	At a V.V.C.S. “Lifestyle Course” held in 1999, a group of vets, of which my wife and were but two, were encouraged to undertake a community project for the physical, emotional and psychological well-being of all. As President of a local cricket club at the time, I suggested a “commemorative walk” around a cricket field at Neville Hilton Oval, in the Croome Rd, complex, Albion Park. The group agreed, and the V.V.C.S. thought it was an excellent idea.
	On behalf of the vets, through the cricket club, I made the initial approach to Council. (Attachment A)
	Council rejected the proposal. (Attachment B)
	We (the vets and the cricket club) made the issue public. (Attachments C and D)
	Two Councillors supported the project, and advised us that we could do so, and held talks with us at the ground. (Attachment E)
	Council (reluctantly) agreed. (Again, see Attachment E)
	We put a proposal for funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and with Council’s approval for the project as a pre-requisite for such funding a matter of course) were given $2000. Our letter to DVA is not available, but DVA’s response is. (Attachment F) Note: No community body receives Federal funding from DVA without Council approval! This is the most significant point in the whole matter, and Attachment F clearly sets out the reason for the funding in its opening paragraph.
	Instead of a “walk” that Council continued to resist, we purchased additional trees to beautify the ground, and completed the task.
	We invited Maj. General Peter Cosgrove and Colin Hollis M.P. to unveil a plaque we intended to put at the ground. (Attachment G)
	Both men graciously accepted, though Maj. Gen. Cosgrove’s office thought Sept. 29th was a better alternative. We agreed. (Attachments H and I)
	We invited the Mayor to be part of the occasion. Our big mistake was to NOT invite the General- Manager, a notorious, publicity-hound. This was a critical error. (Attachment J)
	Council “officially” thanks me for maintaining the trees during the summer of 2001. (This attachment forms part of Council’s response to the Anti-Discrimination matter I raised in my earlier e-mail. (Attachment K)
	The General-Manager writes to instruct us that no unveiling of plaques is to go ahead, and to retract our invitations to prominent citizens. (Attachment L)
	I receive the Australian Sports Medal (Australian Honours List) for services to sport. (Attachment M)
	We sent a letter of apology to Maj. Gen. Peter Cosgrove, with a full explanation. (Attachment N)
	I continue to protest Council’s stance by letters to media. (Attachment O)
	The local cricket club responds to a letter from Cr. Phillip Reid who was obviously acting on Council’s behalf. The club was for the project. (Attachment P)
	A letter from A.D.B. that confirms I HAD taken action against Council (Attachment Q)
	Ms Jennie George MP (Lab. Throsby) supported the veterans in a personal letter to Council. Danna Vale MP (and Minister for Veteran Affairs) would not act because the matter had begun under her predecessor, and she was reluctant to involve herself in a local government matter. And Margaret Simpson, head of VVCS (Parramatta) would not act because she felt she too, could not intervene in a matter concerning a local Council, even though it was her very Department that encouraged and sanctioned the veterans' project (Attachment R)
	Brian Weir's letter posted on the internet 2002. Read this letter then read my response (following) then double check the first few letters in the correspondence and judge Brian Weir for yourself. (read here)
	My letter to Brian Weir, General-Manager , 2 October 2002 (read here)

DOWNLOAD all relevant correspondence and documents HERE
(Adobe Acrobat 1.5Mb)

See the Photograhic Record here

LETTERS OF SUPPORT FROM SIGNIFICANT AUSTRALIANS

	Letter from General Peter Cosgrove (read here)
	Letter from General Alan Morrison (read here)
	Letter from Brigadier David Thomson (read here)
	Letter from The Hon Dr. A Chesterfield-Evans MLC (read here)

COMPLETING THE PROJECT

From 1999, over three months or so, I personally planted over 160 trees on my own. Council assisted on some occasions by providing a backhoe to dig holes in the clay.

In the weeks before my fellow veterans and their wives planted their trees, I dug each of the holes in preparation to save them as much discomfort as possible. The six veterans and wives, and children and grandchildren who each planted one or two trees (a total of about 45 on the day) were:

Allan Kelly, Tony May and Don Wooster- all infantry; Kevin Skippen (Artillery); and Phillip Lamond (161 Recce Flight, I believe)

Wives who planted trees were: Carole Tate; Pat May; Lyn Wooster; Judy Skippen; and Robyn Lamond.

Allan Kelly’s daughter (name escapes me as I write this) and two of his grandchildren also planted trees.

Maureen Kelly was sick on the day, but she purchased an additional six trees.

Benny Bensei (Engineers) was unable to make it on the day, but he and his wife Sylvia also donated trees.

Greg Clarke (H.M.A.S. SYDNEY) was unable to make it on the day, but provided “moral support”.

Brian Stones (S.AS.) was hospitalized on the day, and also provided “moral support”.

The project constituted part of a total development plan for the ground I had put to Council (and was approved) a year earlier. To that end, I had submitted the plans for sweeping spectator areas, written the appropriate environmental impact reports, and then as some tens of thousands of tones of soil was supplied, helped organize where and when it was delivered. Afterwards, I planted some 3000 squares of grass on the surrounds.

Each year, I have aerated, weeded, fertilized, mulched and watered all those trees on my own. Council removed 50 of them in one hit, and on occasions, others have been “accidentally” killed. On each occasion, I replanted them, making the total of trees planted over 230.

A large framed photograph, showing all participants and their names, is available for anyone to view. At this point, it hangs in the local pub.

See the Photographic Record Here