Guest Speaker:
David Wilkins, OAM
Military historian and Ku-ring-gai Historical Society member David Wilkins will discuss the causes and impact – and the controversies – of the “American War”; as well as the colonial war that preceded it, and the one that followed.
He will discuss whether the US strategy in the second war was appropriate or misguided; the fall of Saigon; whether or not it should be regarded as an American defeat; plus the impact of ‘public relations as a principle of war’.
David graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1963 and his career in the Australian Regular Army spanned 26 years.
In 1969-70, as a Captain, he saw active service for 14 months with the 5th Infantry Battalion in the Vietnam War.
Upon his return from active service, David embarked upon a new career direction in Law.
He is now fully retired with interests in history and writing, and was involved in the coordination, writing and editing of the four volumes of Ku-ring-gai Historical Society’s celebrated series Rallying The Troops: a World War I Commemoration.
It was for his involvement in Rallying The Troops that in 2019 David was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia “for service to community history”.
PLEASE NOTE: This meeting will also be our deferred AGM in which we will pass the Minutes of the 2019 AGM; review and endorse the financial statements for the years 2019-20 and 2020-21; appoint the auditor; and receive the President’s Report. The election of Committee members will take place at our usual AGM in the second half of this year.
