From conscript to scholar: UniSQ alumnus addresses the nation at Parliament House

When Robert (Bob) Whittaker stepped to the lectern in the Great Hall at Australian Parliament House, he was not just representing himself.

The Toowoomba local was speaking on behalf of almost 19,000 Australian national servicemen posted to Vietnam between 1965 and 1972 – the only Australian conscripts sent to active foreign service in peacetime.

A Vietnam War veteran and graduate of the University of Southern Queensland (Master of Arts with Distinction, 2023), Mr Whittaker delivered a nationally televised address at the 75th anniversary of National Service in Canberra this month.

The ceremony, opened by Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh, was broadcast live on ABC TV and streamed nationally.

“It’s a privilege to speak for this historically unique group of veterans,” he told the audience.

Mr Whittaker described how the birthday ballot created “a random sample of one-twelfth of our generation,” transforming young men from the “laidback lifestyle of the swinging 60s” into soldiers preparing for counter-insurgency warfare in South-East Asia.

Within months, civilians became infantry, cavalry, engineers, artillery and logistics personnel – deployed for a year in Vietnam after six to 12 months of intensive training.

Careers were paused. Families were left behind. Lives changed irrevocably.

“Our training was intensive, unit cohesion and morale was high, and our leadership strong,” he said.

“We developed bonds during training and active service which remain, beyond family, the strongest in our lives.”

More than 200 national servicemen were killed in Vietnam, and around 1,200 were wounded. For many who returned, the conflict did not end on arrival home.

Mr Whittaker spoke about the long shadow of service – including a 20 to 30 per cent prevalence of diagnosed PTSD among surviving veterans and suicide rates recorded as eight to 12 times the national average.

“We returned to a community divided, complacent, and in many cases, hostile,” he said.

“For some National Servicemen, returning home was an adjustment as challenging as operational service.”

Yet his address was not defined by grievance. It was defined by perspective.

“Most of us went on to forge useful lives and relationships,” he reflected.

“Most of us used the lessons we learned during our service as a framework for success. To quote Shakespeare, we made a sweet use of adversity.”

That phrase was also the title of Mr Whittaker’s Master of Arts thesis at UniSQ: A Sweet Use of Adversity – National Servicemen in Vietnam.

The research, supervised by Dr Caryn Coatney, drew on interviews with 15 Vietnam War veterans – some of whom Mr Whittaker had served beside in South Vietnam in 1970.

His scholarship, grounded in lived experience, became the bridge between memory and national commemoration.

After his conscripted service, Mr Whittaker returned to Queensland and dedicated his professional life to education, specialising in supporting students with disabilities.

He was the founding principal of Mundingburra Special School in 1987, which later became the Townsville Community Learning Centre. He retired as principal of Toowoomba West Special School in 2005.

Mr Whittaker continues to serve his Toowoomba community as a volunteer.