A mate remembered
VICTOR Page was only 10 days into his first tour of Vietnam when he was seriously wounded in one of the bloodiest battles fought, leaving the young man confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the Battle of Coral-balmoral, a series of fierce attacks that took place between May 12 and June 6 in 1968 – and one of the largest battles fought in the Vietnam War.
It was there “Vic” as he is fondly remembered by his friend Vietnam veteran Ronald Woods, 73, was injured when a grenade exploded on his back, and the gun he was manning was temporarily overrun by the enemy.
“He was a humble man, a man of great integrity and always displayed a positive outlook in his life’s journey,” Mr Woods said.
“He was revered by all those who were fortunate enough to be his friend.”
After spending two years in the Greenslopes and Yeronga hospitals, Vic in his early twenties, was released but would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair as a paraplegic.
Mr Woods said Vic’s girlfriend Del Collins, who later became Del Page when she married him, always remained by his side and deserved “an OAM”. “Special thanks must go to the wives and partners who shared the good and the bad times,” he said.
The mates met at the Singleton army base in New South Wales, with both deployed to Vietnam in 1968.
Vic wasn’t conscripted like his friend Ron, but volunteered to go to war because of the “proud tradition” of army service in his family.
“He was never a bitter person, he got on with his life,” Mr Woods said.
Mr Woods said the war had a profound impact on those who had served, pointing out the pictures of smiling men in his album, who had since taken their own lives.
“It certainly affected a lot of men, a lot hit the hard stage later in life,” he said.
“I never marched till 1988 at Anzac Day. You just got on with your life and down the track certain things affected you.
“When you look back on it, a lot of Diggers ask the same thing now, why were we there?”
Vic died in July 2017, at Malanda and is buried at the Edmonton cemetery along with his mother and father.
An online service marking the battle can be viewed on the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment’s Facebook page.