The Minister for Veteran’s Affairs Warren Snowdown recently announced funding to restore 2nd/30th Battalion Memorial at Gemas and a plaque commemorating the Malaysian-Indonesian Confrontation at the Kundasang War Memorialin.
Minister Snowdown commented, “The grants, worth just over $80,000 will help preserve our important wartime history in this region and encourage more people to learn about the extraordinary efforts of those who served,”
The 2nd/30th Battalion Memorial commemorates the battalion’s first battle on 14 January 1942. In December 1941, the Japanese forces landed at Singora and Patani in Thailand, and Kota Bahru in northern Malaya. They fought against British and Indian troops, until B Company of the 2nd/30th ambushed the Japanese at Gemencheh Bridge.
The plaque at the Kundasang War Memorial commemorates the Australian and New Zealand personnel who served in the Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation of 1962-1966, and their close wartime relationship with the people of Sabah.
Minister Snowdown noted that The Australian Government’s Overseas Privately-Constructed Memorial Restoration Program provides funding to restore existing memorials outside Australian territory, which directly commemorate Australia’s military involvement in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations and recognise the contribution of Australian servicemen and women