THEY believe their service lies almost forgotten in Australian Defence annals. And they're determined to do something about it.
Those lobbying for a memorial recognising the Australian military personnel who fought in the Malayan Emergency (1948-55) and the Indonesian Confrontation, or Konfrontasi (1962-66), have reached the second stage of their quest.
The Far East Strategic Reserve War Memorial Foundation (FESR) is pushing forward in its quest to see the establishment of a memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of those involved in the two operations.
"These two conflicts involved Australian forces, along with other Commonwealth countries, for many years, but the general public are unaware of them," said foundation president and former Royal Australian Navy chief petty officer marine technical propulsion, Les Bailey.
"We are all moving on in years and before we lost more of our military mates, we need to get the memorial built so they know their service is recognised and valued.
"Nearly 30,000 service personnel from the RAN, RNZN, RAAF, RNZAF, Australian and New Zealand armies discharged active service in the Far East Strategic Reserve, many with multiple tours of duty."
Mr Bailey said it was surprising how little is known about the role of the men and ships that served.
"In July of 1955, two Royal Australian warships, HMAS Arunta and HMAS Warramunga, took up station in Malayan waters, being the first units to be officially allotted to the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve," Mr Bailey said. "HMAS Quiberon followed shortly after.
"Twenty-six ships and their respective ships' companies, many with multiple tours of duty."
Mr Bailey said service could at times be arduous. "Life at sea in the tropics was occasionally dangerous and seldom pleasant in mess decks with no air conditioning," he said.
"Many of these ships were built in England and not designed for service in tropical waters.
"The Australian Navy's role during its time within the FESR was wide-ranging.
"Warships carried out patrols along the Malayan and Borneo coastlines, supported Commonwealth forces with naval gunfire bombardments of enemy positions, intercepted raids by seaborne insurgents, and undertook covert intelligence operations, with some personnel seconded to the Malaysian Navy to help the fledgling country's fight against the insurgency and confrontation.
"Unfortunately, this period is overshadowed at either end in terms of public perception by the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam."
The Malayan Government awarded RAN personnel the Malayan Defence Medal Pingat Jasa, but Mr Bailey said it took until 2000 for the Australian Government to recognise the service of 18,000 personnel - "and even now there are still ongoing issues".
The Australian War Memorial has recorded 38 members of the Australian Defence Force as killed in the Malayan Emergency (27 army, nine RAAF, two RAN) and 16 in the Borneo Indonesian Confrontation (15 army, one RAAF).
"The numbers injured from, or disabled by, active service in both theatres is known to be considerable and sadly, many have since died from their medical illnesses acquired during the discharge of their service for this country," Mr Bailey said.
"Sixty-plus years on, the FESR story is etched indelibly in the hearts and minds of the veterans who served."
How can you help?
The foundation is looking for public support to assist with the building of a memorial in the sculpture gardens of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
The proposal for a memorial has been approved by the AWM Council and fundraising has passed stage 1 ($60,000) to establish the memorandum of understanding with the war memorial.
The focus has now turned to raising the hundreds of thousands of dollars required for future stages.
Donations (tax deductible) can be made HERE
