REMEMBER WHEN

NATIONAL serviceman Private Sydney Napper of Southport returned to the Vietnam War after five days compassionate R and R leave at home.

Sydney, who had been in Vietnam for 7.5 months, wrote a human plea when he applied to the Army for a leave priority: “My son is 10 weeks old and I have never seen him”.

Under the R and R leave scheme for Australians, single men had to go to cities like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Tokyo.

Married men could spend their leave in Australia, but normally had to wait until their names came up in a ballot unless there were compassionate grounds.

Sydney Napper believed his new gurgling chubby-cheeked bundle of joy was a good case for compassion because he was his first child - and the army agreed with him.

Sydney was pictured on the front of the Gold Coast Bulletin with his wife Eda and his son, Sydney Junior.

Sydney flew back to Vietnam on the day before his 21st birthday so his parents and friends celebrated his comingof-age on the previous day at his Ferry Road home.

Meanwhile, the Queensland Government was urged by local teachers to declare a state of emergency around the education sector.

The urgency and importance of improving the area’s education system warranted this, they said. They made the statement in an addendum to a survey of accommodation and facilities at the Gold Coast region’s 23 state schools, which was issued under the authority of the Gold Coast branch of the Queensland Teachers Union.