Commemorative Event:
50th Anniversary HQRIC Detachment ‘S’
National Vietnam Veterans Museum Phillip Island
Sunday 9 November 2025
The No 37 Squadron (RAAF) Association, in collaboration with the National Vietnam Veterans Museum Phillip Island, is holding an event on Sunday 9 November to commemorate 50 years since the deployment of eight Hercules from RAAF Base Richmond NSW and three Dakota transport aircraft from Butterworth Malaysia to Saigon, being the Australian Government response to the evolving humanitarian crisis in Southern Vietnam as the North Vietnamese army moved towards Saigon in March/April 1975.
Historical Context : The deployment of 185 RAAF personnel, including Aircrew, Nurses, Doctors, Airfield Defence Guards, Air Movements staff, and support personnel, was a response by the Australian Government to the humanitarian crisis evolving in Southern Vietnam as the North Vietnamese armed forces advanced towards Saigon. The detachment also included participation in the US led ‘Operation Babylift’, the evacuation of infants / orphans from Saigon to Bangkok, where they were uplifted by QANTAS charter flights to Melbourne and Sydney for adoption by Australian families.
Event Schedule: The function day format will consist of:
1000hrs ~ Visit displays within the Museum and surrounds
1100hrs ~ Memorial Plaque dedication in the Garden of Remembrance
1145hrs ~ Join RAAF aircrew and Vietnamese community members who participated in HQRIC Det ‘S’ / Operation Babylift for lunch at the Phillip Island RSL https://pirsl.com.au/
