Hospital plaque for Korean memorial

Member for Robertson, Mr Jim Lloyd, has officiated at a special commemoration ceremony at Brisbane Water Private Hospital on August 18 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War.
A bronze plaque has been set in sandstone within the hospital's main courtyard and garden area. It depicts Central Coast resident Snowy Dicker crossing the Han River near Seoul in Korea in October 1950.
Snowy had been a patient in Brisbane Waters and suggested the idea of a special plaque for the 50th anniversary of the Korean War.
Hospital chief executive officer, Mr Graham McGuinness, said the hospital readily agreed and insisted on featuring the photo of Snowy and his mates on a Bren gun carrier.
He said Brisbane Waters attracted more Veteran admissions than any other private hospital on the Central Coast.
It was also the only hospital to employ a Veteran Liaison Officer whose specific role was to co-ordinate the care of Veterans both within hospital and after their discharge.
The hospital's commemorative courtyard, its Australian War Memorial photographs and posters, and the Veteran Liaison Officer demonstrated its strong commitment to the Veteran Community, said Mr McGuinness.
This commitment should see it continue to be the first choice for Veterans requiring hospital care, he said.
August 18 also marked Long Tan Day, the day set aside to remember Australia's involvement in Vietnam.
Mr McGuinness, a Vietnam Veteran, said it was a little different to be spending the day with Korean Veterans when he would normally be spending it with his Vietnam mates.
The unveiling took place 50 years after the war started and is part of the push by veterans to ensure that the efforts of many Australians in Korea are not forgotten.
The plaque incorporates a photograph of Bren gun carrier No 3323 with an Australian crew crossing the Han River on a pontoon bridge in Korea in October 1950.
Two of the crew members, Corporal Greg McGee and No. 1 Gunner M.C. (Snow) Dicker, were present at the ceremony. They told of their exploits and how Bren gun carrier 3323 was eventually set alight and destroyed as they were crossing into North Korea.
The war lasted from 1950 to 1957 and an estimated five million lives were lost as a result.
Mr Jim Lloyd said: "The seats of Robertson and Dobell have a larger number of veterans than any other electorate in Australia with over 6000 in total.
"The Minister for Veterans' Affairs therefore sees the area as an extremely important one, would have liked to have been at the unveiling, and apologised for his inability to attend.
"Remembering the sacrifices made by past generations on our behalf is extremely important and many of our young people know very little of these sacrifices because they took place well before their time.
"One good thing to come out of the action in East Timor is the resurgence of pride in our country and in our defence forces.
"We are lucky to have a hospital such as this in our midst.
"The service that it provides to veterans is second to none in Australia and its cardiac facilities are equal to the best in the world."
The commemorative garden also has a number of plaques dedicated to the memory of other wars involving Australian troops. The hospital hallways have other war memorabilia on their walls in a conscious effort made by hospital administrators to ensure that veterans realise that they have not been forgotten.