Military History and Heritage Victoria Inc.’s one day Conference held on 20 April 2013 – in partnership with MHHV member the National Vietnam Veterans Museum at Phillip Island – brought together a wide range of speakers and diverse views of Australia’s helicopter war in Vietnam.
Colonel Marcus Fielding, MHHV president, said: “This conference was another highly successful collaboration with a member partner – NVVM – and everyone involved felt that they left the conference much better acquainted not just with how the helicopter had changed the way Australian forces operated but also the limitations imposed on RAAF helicopter operations due to aircraft serviceability requirements and to some extent by early operational restrictions which soon disappeared in the light of on the ground experience.”
Our conference convenor, Andrew Kilsby, combined with the NVVM volunteer team to prepare and run the conference, set in the Museum against the backdrop of a Canberra bomber restoration and the magnificent NVVM collection. Of particular interest to delegates were a Huey, Cobra, Wessex and Sioux helicopters in the NVVM collection.
Choppers: Helicopters and the Vietnam War saw 65 in attendance, including veterans, historians, researchers and post-graduate students. Proceedings will be published later this year.
MHHV will now focus on delivering its next one day conference The Angry Sky: Australia’s Air War Over Europe set for 11 November at the RAAF Museum Point Cook. That conference will incorporate a special Remembrance Day service.
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