Caption on photo from Bairnsdale Advertiser: Better believe it. This is the start of an Aussie Rules match – in Vietnam!
Victoria’s “Bairnsdale Advertiser” has just reported on the 2013 ANZAC Friendship Match under the headline, “ANZAC footy friendly now a Vietnam tradition”.
The article is reproduced below.
With a number of former Gippsland residents taking to the ground for the annual ANZAC Friendship Match clash in Vung Tau (the Australian military administration base during the Vietnam War), we regrettably report that the Vietnam Swans were beaten by 10 points, going down to the Jakarta Bintangs in what the Swannies report as an “arm wrestle game”.
Played in mild conditions (for Vietnam) in late April, the annual challenge has been incorporated into the fledgling East Asian Australian Football League (EAAFL) at the old Lord Mayor’s Oval in Vung Tau.
Jakarta came from a seven point deficit at half time to take the honours. Missed shots for goals by the Swannies contributed to their defeat but the game was played in good spirits.
More than 220 people attended the annual ANZAC Kevin McMillan Dinner at the Imperial Hotel and, for many veterans in the Advertiser circulation zone, this hotel stands on the site of the former Peter Badcoe Club.
As previously reported, Craig Hewat, formerly of Bairnsdale, is a team player for the Swannies, as is Ryan Evans who won last year’s best on ground.
Coming from Maffra, Ryan again played well in 2013.
Captain of the Swannies, Luke Creamer, hails from Lakes Entrance and was awarded this year’s best player for the Swans.
It is his last ANZAC Friendship Match as he will soon be heading back to Australia. He has a special connection with Vietnam as his late father was a Vietnam vet.
Luke informs us that his family lived in Lakes in the late 1980s and early 1990, with his father Mark, working in the Commonwealth Bank.
Luke has been in Vietnam for four years with his wife Pia (formerly from Boolara) – the couple are both teachers and expecting their first child in July.
At the end of the international school year in mid June, they plan on returning to Victoria, job possibilities will govern just where.
“We’ve had an amazing time in Vietnam and loved every minute of living overseas and playing for the Swannies made it even more rewarding”, Luke said.
Other articles in the media
To see other articles that have been published about the Vietnam Swans, in both Vietnam and Australia, click here.
Video documentary of ANZAC Friendship Weekend
To see a video that reviews the ANZAC Friendship Weekend, including the McMillan Dinner, click here.
