Sarawak flag flies in Adelaide’s war memorial garden as Aussie veterans honour loyal Iban trackers, Sarawak Defenders

The Sarawak flag on display in the West Torrens War Memorial Gardens in Adelaide, South Australia on Aug 30 during the 2024 Malaya and Borneo Veterans Day service.

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, Aug 31: The Sarawak flag was prominently displayed during a commemorative service in the West Torrens War Memorial Gardens in Adelaide, South Australia on Friday (Aug 30), honouring the loyal Iban Trackers and Australian Defenders of Sarawak.

According to a media release, Australian and Malaya war veterans gathered as guests of Mayor Michael Coxon of the City of West Torrens to pay tribute to their comrades who served and sacrificed their lives during the Malayan Wars.

The service also recognised all Commonwealth military, police, and civilian forces, including Iban trackers, who fought and perished defending Sarawak.

Notably, during the Indonesian Confrontation with Malaysia, 11 Australians lost their lives defending Sarawak. Their deaths resulted from anti-personnel landmines, gunshot wounds sustained in firefights, and two soldiers who were lost during a covert river crossing.

Jenny Macintosh OAM after placing a tribute in memory of her late husband Group Captain Bob Macintosh AFC OAM, who served as a helicopter pilot in 1965-66 flying Iroquois sorties to deploy Gurkha and Australian soldiers into the Malayan jungles.

The annual Malaya and Borneo Veterans Day service is the principal commemorative event for the South Australia and Northern Territory (SA-NT) Branch of the National Malaya and Borneo Veterans Association Australia.

This dedicated group of veterans and their families have returned to Sarawak to hold solemn memorial ceremonies at the Sarawak Heroes Memorial Park in Kuching in 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2023.

South Australian State president Major Paul Rosenzweig OAM (ret’d) made sure the Sarawak flag was prominently displayed to honour the eleven Australian Defenders of Sarawak.

“We will remember them. Lest we forget,” he said.

During this service in Adelaide, branch vice-president Don Cameron, a confrontation war veteran, placed a tribute in memory of the loyal Iban Trackers he served with nearly 60 years ago.

“When the SA-NT Branch honours those who served and lost their lives on active service during the undeclared Malayan wars which immediately followed World War 2, the Iban Trackers are not forgotten,” he added.

Don, who served in Sarawak in 1965 as a rifleman with 6 Platoon, ‘B’ Company of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), was part of the West Brigade conducting counter-insurgency operations in the First Division of Sarawak.

The Australian soldiers defended various positions within Sarawak and along the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.

‘B’ Company took over from the Gurkha company at Kampung Gumbang, fortifying their position at a site they named ‘Bukit Knuckle,’ referencing the nearby rock formation.

(Left) Private Don Cameron in 1965 with Iban Tracker Unchat Unyong and (right) Don in 2022 with Unchat’s son Nyala and his children.

During 1965 and 1966, the Australian rifle companies were supported by highly effective Iban Trackers. The 3rd Battalion had 24 Iban Trackers attached for operational duties, with Banga Rima as their leader.

Six were assigned to Don’s ‘Bravo’ Company, and Nabau Gerasi was selected as their leader.

Among Don’s platoon were two Iban Trackers from Kapit: Balling Ajong from the Rumah Mangah longhouse on the Marirai Ballih River, and Unchat Unyongfrom Rumah Unyong on the Bena Sot River.

The Adelaide ceremony was conducted in the presence of the Branch Patron, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia, and her husband Rod Bunten. — DayakDaily