Tomorrow, we will reflect on the service of more than 280,000 Australians who were conscripted into two separate national service schemes during the Cold War.
On National Servicemen’s Day, we remember and honour the contributions of all who served in the National Service Training Scheme (NSTS) which ran for 8 years from 1951 and the National Service Scheme (NSS) from 1965 to 1972.
Although there was a 6-year gap between the schemes, and significant differences between them, both the NSTS and NSS were conscription schemes that required large numbers of young men to undertake compulsory military service.
National servicemen, affectionately known as ‘Nashos’, were an integral part of our armed forces during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. They served in Australia and during the National Service Scheme some also served overseas, in Borneo, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam.
With little warning, Nashos put their lives on hold during their compulsory service. For many this was their first time being separated from their family and friends, often far from home.
Bob Pillifeant recounts that ‘the greatest challenge throughout my time as a Nasho was the complete change of my then comfortable lifestyle and to have to conform and take and obey all orders given. From all of this training and conforming I became an entirely different teenager…my outlook on life had changed for the better in many different ways…’
We recognise that the training and service was not always easy, and that returning to civilian life could be challenging. For men who served in the National Service Scheme between 1965 and 1972, the length of service made returning to civilian life even more challenging.
As Handrickos (Hank) Kreemers recalls ‘A naive country boy, now discharged soldier, husband and father had returned to civilian life with no job, no prospects, no house, very limited funds… All remnants of a previous life now a memory.’
Whether their service took them abroad or kept them within Australia, each and every national serviceman played a vital role in shaping Australian’s defence force. Their commitment and sacrifices deserve our deepest respect.
The 75th anniversary of national service is an occasion to commemorate veterans of both national service schemes. We pay tribute to the unique experiences faced by national servicemen and honour them all.
Lest we forget.