Vietnam vet begins remembrance ride

Vietnam veteran Rob Eade started a staggering three-year trip on Saturday, as he set off from Baldivis on a journey in which he will lay flags across Australia in honour of those who died in combat.

The 71-year-old departed from the local Totally and Partially Disabled Veterans Clubhouse on Saturday with members of the Rockingham Sub Branch of the Military Brotherhood Military Motorcycle Club joining him.

He stopped briefly in Mandurah for morning tea at Mervyn’s Cafe before continuing on to Collie.

Mr Eade will lay flags at war memorials in every town where a Digger from Vietnam through to present conflicts paid the ultimate sacrifice, either in the town they enlisted or the town of their birth.

Travelling with his trusty companion Ginge, a red heeler, Mr Eade’s journey is fully self-funded and is expected to cover almost 35,000km.

The ride is the first of it’s kind in Australia.

Mr Eade said he was inspired by a video of American man Mike Ehredt, who ran across the United States laying a flag every mile for each life lost in the Afghanistan conflict.

“He’s laid over 6550 flags,” Mr Eade said.

“He ran a marathon every day for 81 days to complete his task and by the end of the video I had tears in my eyes seeing him do it.

“Nobody has ever thought of doing it in Australia, so I thought to myself ‘I’m going to do this’.”

Originally from Cessnock in New South Wales, Mr Eade served 21 years in the Australian Army as a cook.

He spent almost 12 months in Nui Dat during the Vietnam War and reflects gratefully on the fact he made it through the conflict unscathed, but he never forgets those who lost their lives.

“I was a cook, I was lucky,” he said.

“I did have to perform other duties — I’ve done a couple patrols and they were expected of us.

“They weren’t big ones but they did scare me, not knowing what was going to happen.

“But I’m still here and there are 520 of us that didn’t come home.”

His ride will also coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan.

After laying flags in the South West, Mr Eade will then travel to Kalgoorlie before crossing the Nullarbor into South Australia to continue his journey to the Eastern States.