Community
18 April, 2024
Nasho veterans won’t give up without a fight
THE south west Victorians behind ‘Nasho Fair Go’ are not giving up on their fight for all who served their country to receive support, despite conversations with the government amounting to little more than “water off a duck’s back”.
The movement is led by south west exports including president Geoff Parkes from Naroghid, vice president Ross Murrihy from Camperdown and Cobden’s Graham Parlour serving as Queensland organiser.
The not-for-profit group, which represents over 3200 members, was launched in 2022 to lobby for some 30,000 surviving conscripts who served between 1965-72 as National Servicemen to receive comprehensive medical and dental benefits.
As Western District Newspapers has previously reported, many of the conscripts who chose to serve full time for two years did not receive full benefits if they did not serve in a recognised combat zone, while those who served part time up to six years in the Citizen Military Forces (CFM) did not receive even basic benefits.
Mr Parkes said the fight for support continued amid fears the aging survivors were reaching a point of significant struggle with little to no help from the government.
“The poor guys who did the CMF get nothing,” he said.
“Two years of our lives and six years of their lives.
“All we get is a Veterans White Card (basic healthcare coverage), and all they get is nothing.”
While Mr Parkes was among those to serve two years full time, thus receiving eligibility for a Veterans White Card, his lack of eligibility to receive comprehensive medical and dental coverage (Veterans Gold Card) as he did not serve in a recognised combat zone does not mean he did not endure the horrors of war time.
“It wasn’t all beer and skittles, it was a difficult experience and blokes like Graham Parlour (armoured corps) had to put up with a rigorous two years,” he said.
“They say the Veterans Gold Card is for Vietnam veterans who endured worse, but Graham Parlour was shot at in Malaya and I served in Papua New Guinea.
“We’re not saying those guys didn’t endure worse, but it’s unfair to say we didn’t endure too.”
Mr Parkes said last month marked the 50th anniversary of the youngest national serviceman returning to civilian life, meaning the youngest national serviceman is now 71 and the oldest is nearly 79.
He believes this should be a time when these veterans receive full comprehensive medical and dental coverage, just as Vietnam veterans had, but believed the government would not concede until “we’re all dead” in the name of bureaucratic savings.
While Mr Parkes said the group’s intention was not to undermine the deserved support Vietnam veterans received, he believed the last conscripts which were forced in to service under threat of imprisonment deserved support of their own.
“Imagine being a 20-year-old bloke and someone says you either spend two years in the army or jail, and you’re going but 13 of your mates aren’t and can get on with their lives,” he said.
“When you get out your girlfriend is with someone else and the guy who was an apprentice is now your boss.
“It was a big chunk of our lives for which we got nothing, so we’re annoyed.”
Mr Parkes said despite having the opportunity to meet with representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Minister for Veterans Affairs Matt Keogh, the plea for support had fallen on deaf ears.
“I’ve met with the Minister on three occasions and they’ve looked over the request to give us a gold card or something equivalent, but they claimed it would cost $30,000 per man, per year,” he said.
“That’s rubbish.
“We’ve gone back to them and said don’t give us a Veterans Gold Card but instead cover our private medical insurance.
“That’s a lot less than $30,000 each year and supports a lot of us through the psychological and physical injures we suffered during our service.”
Mr Parlour said he was disappointed so many veterans were being left to struggle at a time when so many were doing it tough.
“It’s upsetting,” he said.
“The disappointing fact is Minister Keogh has the power to act but he won’t budge.
“I find it distressing because these fellows travelled many miles to a CMF depot, leaving farms around Australia, with some turning up for six years and they got nothing.”
Mr Parlour said it showed a disappointing level of disrespect to those who served their nation, at the threat of imprisonment if they refused, to be denied support despite having given so much.
“These guys served, they undertook training which means they served a day or more, but the DVA won’t buy that,” he said.
“I think it’s terrible.
“It would take a lot of the stress out of a lot of people’s lives, some of whom are in pretty bad shape.
“They’re battling, they can’t get to a doctor, some of them can’t drive – but a white card would enable them to seek health care and give them a better quality of life than what they have.”
To learn more about Nasho Fair Go visit nashofairgo.com.au.