Boy II, The conscript

The Vietnam War was Australia's longest war commitment, and lasted from 1962 to 1972. In 1964 the National Service Scheme was introduced. This was a form of conscription that was performed by drawing men's name, based on birthdays, from a ballot to serve overseas. Counihan's eldest son, Mick, was called up for sevice in this manner but was discharged after three hours by debating with the authorities. His second son, Terry, was eligible for conscription but his birthday was not called. In 1966 when a special taskforce was created to replace 1RAR, which had been deployed the year before, conscripts were included and deployed for overseas service for the first time. The height of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War saw approximately 8,500 troops in the country. Throughout the course of the war, over 50,000 personnel saw service in Vietnam. Conscription, along with the growing casualties, made the Vietnam War increasingly unpopular in Australia. In 1968, faced with growing domestic opposition to the war, the Australian Government decided to commence the withdrawal of Australian troops. Starting in 1970 with 8RAR, which was withdrawn and not replaced, the Australian troops were gradually withdrawn and the final soldiers left Vietnam in July 1973.
This work depicts a portrait of a young conscript destined for the Vietnam War. The portrait is front on and the expression on the young man's face evokes a sense of vulnerablility, inexperience and uncertainty. The dark and light blue-green tones used by Counihan enhances the solemn mood of the work. It is a more subtle representation of a soldier than other works produced by Counihan in this period. It is more humanistic representation than the painting ART45037 where the soldier appears ghoul like, anguished and out of control. This subtlety augments the understated and underlying protest elements, which lends a deeper insight into the work. Counihan could be depicting one of his own son's that was exposed to being called up.