Documentary project - Jacques Sheard

Ladies/Gents,

The following is the summary text of several emails received from Jacques Sheard - an independent film maker based in Melbourne.

I am currently developing a documentary project focused on the experiences of National Servicemen during the Vietnam conflict as part of an application for a Defence Department arts grant and would like to speak to National Servicemen who served in Vietnam to assist in the development of the documentary project. The concept of the project is as follows: The history of the Vietnam War, from a Western perspective, is often portrayed through the prism of the American experience. Australia’s involvement in the conflict is generally misinformed and misunderstood by the general public. From training and deployment to operations, the experience of the average front-line Australian infantryman was markedly different to that of the American soldier.

Additionally, the experiences of those called up via the National Service program were as varied as the backgrounds from which they came. The units sent to Vietnam were made up of teachers, mechanics, policemen, office clerks, musicians and a myriad of other civilian occupations, representing a true cross section of contemporary Australian 1960s and 70s society.

The documentary project, via interviews with veterans, historians and other experts, will focus on the experiences and service of the men who were conscripted from civilian life, trained and sent to fight overseas in a country many had no knowledge of. In this respect their story differs little to that of countless other Australian soldiers who have left these shores for battle over the past 100 years. The story of the Vietnam veteran, however, has largely been overlooked, misrepresented or simply overshadowed by the exploits of those in previous 'grander' conflicts such as the two world wars.

Although the film will discuss both the military and political motives for Australia's involvement in the war, in order to place the conflict in the context of Australia and the region during the time period, the main body of the project will focus on the lives and service of the national servicemen themselves.'

I can be contacted by email or telephone at 0448 881 202 if there are any queries or if anyone wishes to participate in the project.

Jacques Sheard

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