Vietnam War vet tells story of 25 year army service

Alan Gostelow enlisted in the army when he was 16 years old and served his country for 25 years.

Alan Gostelow, Vietnam War Veteran, and Betty White, District Secretary for the RSL.

“Anzac Day, for me, is an opportunity to remember acquaintances and friends that served our country, and to honour them and our forefathers before us,” says 80-year-old army veteran, Alan Gostelow.

Serving in the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation and Vietnam War, Mr Gostelow was in the army for 25 years, from 1959-1984, enlisting as an apprentice when he was 16.

Born in Crows Nest, New South Wales and raised in a small country town, Mr Gostelow wanted to further his studies but his parents couldn’t afford it.

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“My father was an ex-air force officer, so I applied for all three military services and got the army apprentice position,” he said.

Training to be a motor mechanic, he spent three years on base studying theory, followed by a fourth year in the field, where he conducted repairs on military vehicles and completed his apprenticeship as a motor mechanic.

He was deployed to Malaysia during the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation, where he served in the 28th Commonwealth infantry brigade as a private soldier for Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME) and trained as a recovery mechanic in the ready reaction force.

In the Vietnam War, he served as a lieutenant leading a team in logistics support.

“Our job was to make sure the equipment was battle field ready and capable for the front lines.”

“It’s so important to acknowledge those who have fought for our country. 523 Australian soldiers died during the Vietnam War and almost 2400 were wounded,” Mr Gostelow said.

During his 25 years of service, Mr Gostelow was also a writer and editor for a technical publication, and served in the civilian military force.

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Almost 40 years after his service, Mr Gostelow, 80, is now a resident at Serenitas Latitude 25 Lifestyle Village in Nikenbah.

This Anzac Day, he will be hosting the lifestyle’s Anzac Day Dawn Service, which is expected to be attended by 90-100 people.

He also plans to go to the march from the Hervey Bay RSL to the Pialba War Memorial, and watch the Hervey Bay main service.

Mr Gostelow has also been asked by the Bay Power AFC local football club to deliver an address for Anzac Day.