Francis "Frankie" John Hunt with his family onstage at the Welcome Home Concert in The Domain, ...

Francis "Frankie" John Hunt with his family onstage at the Welcome Home Concert in The Domain, Sydney. On 8 May 1969, Hunt enlisted with the 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR), as a Private (service number 39701) and served as a forward scout with the battalion in the Vietnam War. On 21 July 1969, he was on patrol with 3 Platoon, A Company, 6RAR, when Lieutenant Peter Hines stepped on a mine, which activated and killed the latter. The explosion injured several others, including Hunt, who was standing closest to Hines. Hunt was air-lifted to the military hospital in Vung Tau and then evacuated to Australia for further surgery at Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital to amputate his severely injured legs. He spent 19 months in rehabilitation in Australia. In 1983, musician John Schuman wrote and released the song "I Was Only 19" which was performed by his band, Redgum. The song references Hunt and the mine explosion: "Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon" and was performed onstage in The Domain for the Welcome Home Concert.

Organised by the Australian Vietnam Veterans Association, the Australian Vietnam Forces Welcome Home Parade and Concert were among several events held for Vietnam veterans that weekend. While many units had marched through the streets on their return to Australia, many in the Vietnam veteran community felt Australian society did not respect or recognise their service. Addressing the RSL Conference in August 1987, Prime Minister Hawke noted: “I firmly believe that the October parade will be the culmination of a long process of reconciliation and community acceptance of its obligations to the veterans of Vietnam. I believe we must honestly acknowledge that our involvement in Vietnam did cause deep divisions in the Australian community. But whatever our individual views on the merits of Australian involvement, we must equally acknowledge the commitment, courage and integrity of our armed forces who served in Vietnam.”

This image is one of a series captured by Australian War Memorial photographers who travelled from Canberra to document the event.