Commemorating the Vietnam War with new education resources
At 21, Alastair 'Al' Gordon Bridges joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). During his service in Vietnam, he flew helicopters evacuating casualties from the battlefield. Thinking back on his time in Vietnam, Al was impressed by the dedication of the Australian service personnel. A determination to look after others and get the job done are lasting memories.
Personal accounts like Al’s have been included in new educational resources we recently emailed to schools across Australia.
We are commemorating some significant anniversaries of the Vietnam War this year. They are a reminder for us to reflect on the qualities of courage and perseverance that characterised Australia’s service in Vietnam.
Through our new digital products, students will learn about the roles of service personnel, hear from veterans about their own experiences during the Vietnam War, and further develop their understanding of Australia’s military history through art.
Much of our content is linked to the Australian Curriculum to better support teachers and students across primary and secondary schools, while bringing engaging stories to a broader audience.
Alongside this work, the Community Engagement team has been busy connecting with the Defence School Mentor Program. Defence mentors in primary and secondary schools support children of mobile Australian Defence Force families. We have been engaging with state teams through videoconference calls, allowing us to answer their questions, engage in collaborative feedback and give them commemorative and educational resources to assist them in their work.
All our new digital resources and commemorative content is readily available free to everyone via the Anzac Portal. We have also focused on supporting people who use assistive technologies to access digital content.
To stay up-to-date with new content, free resources and commemorative activities, subscribe to our Anzac Portal Newsletter.
