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CONTACT magazine

Ian Cavanough

Ian Cavanough's first view of home after his year in Vietnam.
CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 59: Australia!

15/12/2018 Brian Hartigan 2183 Views 2 Comments

So there we were cruisin’ the high seas. The boys from GHQ put out a newsletter telling us the latest

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CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 58: ‘The Sydney’

01/12/2018 Brian Hartigan 2106 Views 0 Comments

‘The Sydney’ refers to HMAS Sydney, an Australian aircraft carrier which was used to ferry Australian troops and equipment to

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The Winner! Or was he the loser? of pre return-to-Australia hijinks.
CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 57: 3 and awakie!

14/11/201814/11/2018 Brian Hartigan 2215 Views 0 Comments

I remember it well. You see we were due to come home from our 12 month tour of Vietnam on

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CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 56: Am I dreamin’?

06/10/2018 Brian Hartigan 2420 Views 1 Comment Fun Fear Frivolity, Ian Cavanough

We were heading for Chau Luc rubber plantation in the northern part of Phuoc Tuy Province, not far from the Courteney

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CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 55: Our time is getting short

23/09/2018 Brian Hartigan 2079 Views 1 Comment Fun Fear Frivolity, Ian Cavanough

You know how your mood changes during the working week?  Who likes going to work on Mondays?  Isn’t that where

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CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 54: The aftermath of the battle of Tan Ru

07/09/2018 Brian Hartigan 2189 Views 0 Comments Fun Fear Frivolity, Ian Cavanough

We survive the night without incident – if you can call a constant artillery barrage with shrapnel whizzing through the trees and

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Ian Cavanough's book Fun, Fear, Frivolity now available as a paper book.
CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Fun Fear Frivolity – the paperbook – out now

23/08/201823/08/2018 Brian Hartigan 1906 Views 0 Comments Fun Fear Frivolity

The long-awaited paper version of Fun, Fear, Frivolity by Ian Cavanough is finally here. Well, not here here – not

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CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 53: We sojourn to Tan Ru with 3RAR

10/08/2018 Brian Hartigan 2663 Views 0 Comments 3RAR, Tan Ru

It seems 3RAR needed some help, so Alpha Company was placed under operational control of 3RAR’s CO.  The callsign of

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CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 52: I lied to my mates!

28/07/201828/07/2018 Brian Hartigan 3316 Views 1 Comment Vung Tau

I know you are going to find this hard to believe, but I lied to my mates. I didn’t mean

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The author, Ian Cavanough calls off the helicopters. Photo by 'Big Julie'.
CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 51: We never go first

13/07/2018 Brian Hartigan 2991 Views 2 Comments The Dat

Ya know, there’s a distinct disadvantage by being the middle platoon in Alpha Company. At the end of an operation

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The sigs manning the radios at CHQ
CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 50: Nursemaiding CHQ

27/06/201803/07/2018 Brian Hartigan 2424 Views 0 Comments

After we left Garth things seemed to quieten down in the province.  We were still out there patrolling, patrolling, patrolling but

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CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 49: Snakes, spiders, scorpions, wasps, fireflies, mossies, monkeys, ants, fuckoff lizards and woodpeckers

17/06/2018 Brian Hartigan 3247 Views 0 Comments

Woodpeckers? Yes I saw my first woodpecker in Vietnam.  I knew what they looked like because of the cartoon character.

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The Padre, OC Capt B, Mick the platoon Sgt, Big Julie, Ashes and further back on the right AB Morris. Russell is near the APC
CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 48: Life Without Killer

02/06/2018 Brian Hartigan 2519 Views 1 Comment

I last spoke about Digger and me sitting and sharing a brew after Killer’s death.  It took a while for

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Ian cavanough – Vietnam War emotions buried deep
CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 47: May I be a little self indulgent?

19/05/201801/06/2018 Brian Hartigan 2128 Views 2 Comments NVA, Phuoc Tuy, VC, Vietnam War

Six months ago I decided to put pen to paper, so to speak, to write about my experiences as a

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Peter Kowalski (KIA), Ian Cavanough, Ian Crisp (WIA) and Digger at Lavarack Barracks Townsville, 1969.
CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 46: A big day

04/05/2018 Brian Hartigan 2823 Views 0 Comments KIA

We lost count of the number of ambushes we set around the Courtenay Rubber, which were all to no avail

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A rubber plantation, with perfect firing lines – in limited directions.
CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 45: Ambushing 101

22/04/201827/04/2018 Brian Hartigan 2286 Views 0 Comments Ambush

Patrolling in rubber plantations is dead easy.  The lack of undergrowth makes it a breeze but there is a downside – you

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CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 44: Garth

06/04/2018 Brian Hartigan 2569 Views 0 Comments

FSB (Fire Support Base) Garth is located on Courtenay Hill, which is in the far north of Phuoc Tuy Province.

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Route 2 and the Song Rai River.
CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 43: Route 2 to the Song Rai River

23/02/201823/02/2018 Brian Hartigan 2475 Views 1 Comment Route 2, Song Rai River

That thin vertical line in the west is Route 2. The Song Rai is the wriggly blue line to the

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Moon taking a bit of flack from the boys.
CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 42: Christmas Lunch in January

10/02/201810/02/2018 Brian Hartigan 2059 Views 0 Comments

Well it was true, Sum Wun wuz right again!  The officers and senior NCOs will serve us Christmas lunch. This

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CONTACT BLOG SPOT Ian Cavanough 

Chapter 41: Christmas in the Nui Dinh Mountains

27/01/2018 Brian Hartigan 2267 Views 2 Comments Huey helicopter, Nui Dinh Mountains

We seemed to be in choppers every week now – and I never lost the thrill of riding in them

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