Hessey, Stanley John (Chaplain, b. 1931)

Collection relates to the Vietnam War service of Chaplain Stanley John Hessey, 8 Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (8RAR), Vietnam and Australia 1969–1970.

Collection consists of 9 wallets with 519 items including letters, cards, and other ephemera.

All items in wallets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 were written by Norma Hessey, Stanley’s wife, or other family members to Stanley. The letters detail the family’s home life, providing updates on the children, Norma’s social events, finances, clothing, the Royal family visit in 1970, and shopping trips.
Wallet 1 of 9 contains 1 folder with 51 items including letters and cards dated between 6 December 1969 and 31 January 1970.
Wallet 2 of 9 contains 1 folder with 53 items including letters, drawings from the children, and cards dated between 1 February and 30 March 1970.
Wallet 3 of 9 contains 1 folder with 51 items including letters, cards, and a newspaper article dated between 30 March and 30 May 1970.
Wallet 4 of 9 contains 1 folder with 32 items including letters dated between 31 May and 30 June 1970.
Wallet 5 of 9 contains 1 folder with 52 items including letters dated between 1 July and 27 August 1970.
Wallet 6 of 9 contains 1 folder with 30 items including letters and newspaper clippings dated between 23 September and 30 October 1970.

Wallet 7 of 9 contains 2 folders.
Folder 1 of 2 contains 23 miscellaneous items including letters, dated between 1969 and 1970, photos, drawings, and a sign written by Viet Cong petitioning for ending US aggression. Hessey includes small drawings relating to things he is writing about on the majority of his letters, the drawings all follow the same style and evolve throughout the course of his letters.
Folder 2 of 2 contains 52 items including letters written by Hessey to his wife and children dated between 3 October 1969 and 27 April 1970. The letters detail his daily life in Vietnam, the weather, money, ministry and hymns, recording and sending tapes home, visiting men from 8RAR in hospital, movies, his future after the army, R&R, Easter and attendance at chapel services, and bar girls in Vung Tan.

Wallet 8 of 9 contains 1 folder with 52 items including letters written by Hessey to his wife and children dated between 3 May 1970 and 29 June 1970. The letters detail watching 8RAR in action against Viet Cong, 8RAR deaths, mail problems, the weather, visiting the dentist, soldiers wanting to marry Vietnamese girls, homesickness, currency conversion rates, buying a dinner set and record player, and going bush.

Wallet 9 of 9 contains 2 folders.
Folder 1 of 2 contains 57 items including letters written by Hessey to his wife and children dated between 4 July 1970 and 30 August 1970. The letters detail the movies he has seen, getting a tooth fixed at the dentist, local food and edible plants, leave at Vung Tau Badcoe Club, wanting to return home and buy land on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, stopping smoking for health reasons, discontent amongst the Anglican chaplains, and mail problems.
Folder 2 of 2 contains 66 items including letters written by Hessey to his wife and children dated between 1 September and 8 November 1970. The letters detail the discontent with the benefits for chaplains, sending tapes home with songs recorded on them, selling his stereo, sending packages home, giving a presentation to the US chaplains about the Australian Chaplain system, and their plans to move to Singleton when he returns to Australia to continue working in the army.