These conflicts are often overshadowed by the Second World War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, between which they occurred.
On 31 August, Malaya and Borneo Veterans’ Day recognises Australian military personnel who served in these two campaigns.
Australian involvement in the Malayan Emergency lasted thirteen years. Battalions from the Royal Australian Regiment and various squadrons of the RAAF were stationed in Malaya between 1950 and 1963. The Australian government sent troops to mainland Indonesia in 1964 and later extended operations to Borneo in 1965. Several Australian units were sent to Indonesia, including the SAS Regiment on its first operational deployment. During both campaigns, the Royal Australian Navy was instrumental in providing offshore support for operations on land. These two conflicts would foreshadow the type of guerrilla and jungle insurgency warfare that would typify the war in Vietnam.
The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester encouraged the nation to “reflect on the Australian service personnel who served in the Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation, and pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice”.
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