Senior Poetry: Weapons Training

'This encounter with highly regarded Australian poet Bruce Dawe (1930–2020) gives an insight into the motivation and methods of a very fine writer.
His ability to express the drama and beauty of everyday life made his work readily accessible to the general public. He was interviewed for Film Australia's Australian Biography series in 1997...'

'One of Australia’s most respected and influential poets is Donald Bruce Dawe. More commonly known as Bruce Dawe, he was born in the town of Fitzroy in Melbourne, Australia, in 1930...'

'Bruce Dawe, born in 1930 in Geelong Victoria, is known as 'The Poet of Suburbia’. His ability to express the drama and beauty of everyday life has made his work readily accessible to the general public...'

'The theme is the underlying message that the writer or artist wants to convey. Themes can feature in poetry, a short story, a novel, or even a work of art...'

'A 7.62 mm L1A1 self-loading rifle (SLR) which was the standard infantry weapon used by the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. It is gas operated with an internal piston and has a 20 round staggered box magazine...'

'Graham Sherrington was not your typical regular soldier. He had had more than his share of run-ins with the Army authorities but there was more to it than that...'

'The arrival of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) in South Vietnam during July and August 1962 was the beginning of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. Australia's participation in the war was formally declared at an end when the Governor-General issued a proclamation on 11 January 1973. The only combat troops remaining in Vietnam were a platoon guarding the Australian embassy in Saigon, which was withdrawn in June 1973...'