The first Australian troops from the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam arrived in 1962 and over the course of the war around 60,000 Australians served there, with our involvement ending with the Royal Australian Air Force flying humanitarian missions and evacuating embassy staff in April, 1975. Tragically, 521 Australians died and more than 3,000 were wounded.

On 18 August 1966 Australian soldiers fought in one of their fiercest battles during the entire Vietnam War, the Battle of Long Tan, a brutal action that saw 18 Australians killed and 25 wounded.

As we commemorate the service and sacrifice of those who served and died in Vietnam, it is important to acknowledge that many Vietnam veterans were deeply affected by their service.

Vietnam veterans were instrumental in establishing the Vietnam Veterans' Counselling Service, now known as Open Arms. This service has been providing mental health and support services for Australian veterans and their families every year since 1982 and is their enduring legacy.

All Vietnam veterans can be proud that Open Arms supported more than 30,000 veterans and their family members last year and that it has made a life-changing difference to countless veterans and their families and I know it will continue to do so into the future.

Vietnam veterans also set up the Long Tan Bursary, a program that provides education support to the children and grandchildren of Vietnam veterans, helping them gain the skills and qualifications needed to pursue their chosen career. Applications for the 2021 Bursary open today and eligible descendants of our Vietnam veterans can apply online at avcat.org.au/scholarships/.

As a nation, I encourage all Australians to acknowledge and honour the Vietnam veterans who gave so much in the service of our country, as well as recognise the rich contribution Vietnam veterans continue to make to our community. Lest we forget.

Darren Chester, Minister for Veterans' Affairs

Farm workers are ESSENTIAL workers, too !!!"Even when our social security payment for the dole was $550 a fortnight, we couldn't get people off the couch to go and pick fruit." [Deputy Nationals Leader Littleproud, 30 July]

It's *NOT* "get[ing] people off the couch"; it *IS*: getting people TO work locations; providing REASONABLE, HEALTHY, and SAFE housing and amenities for workers; and paying a DECENT wage.

"A three-year investigation ... found some foreign workers on Australian farms are 'bonded like slaves' to dodgy labour hire contractors." [ABC OnLine, June 2018] "[A report found] worker exploitation has become an 'established norm' in pockets of Australia's horticulture ... " [ABC OnLine, March 2019]

President Roosevelt's New Deal provides examples for Littleproud ...

The WPA (Works Progress Administration) provided a job that paid the prevailing wage for that local area for that work. Governments funded construction, cultural, and historical projects, even providing transportation to remote locations.

The CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) conducted projects in forestry,erosion, flood control, and related. Workers were provided housing, clothing, health care, a cash allowance, and a minimum of 10 hours of education.

Those who harvest our fruit and veg are "essential workers," as essential as our medicos, teachers, trash collectors, etc. Instead of whinging and denigrating others, Littleproud could make a positive contribution by offering legislation providing appropriate transportation, housing, and wages to workers. Better still - Littleproud could work the picking circuit for several weeks, listening and learning, instead of mouthing-off.

Judy Bamberger, O'Connor ACT

When we were in Rome, we visited the Coliseum, still standing after almost 2,000 years, a traditional highlight of Rome. We also indulged in another long-standing Italian tradition, that of wine with most meals and appreciated the wisdom of the Italians.

The COVID-19 virus has meant that in my city, Melbourne, alcohol venues are closed, and coffee is often served through a window but in Rome the windows are supplying wine, an option that may appeal to more people.

These wine windows, "buchette del vino" are a historical feature from the days of the Black Plague when social distancing was also recommended.

Although the current pandemic seems horrific and the number of deaths is tragic, there are approaches that can help to protect us and slow or eventually hopefully stop the spread of the virus.

The solution starts at home, stay home and meet your friends with happiness, but by Zoom and if you do need to go out, be the superhero and wear your mask.

Let us look forward to a better time when at the Italians say we can "Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto" or "Eat well, laugh often, love much."

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne