Betty Quee, 87, held a picture of her late husband Brian Quee as she joined her first-ever Anzac Day procession in Melbourne.
Quee’s husband served in the Australian Defence Force for 27 years, having signed up fresh off the boat from England as a young man.
Quee said honouring her husband of more than 50 years had been “very emotional”.
“It was more than what I expected. The crowd cheered and waved – it was something extraordinary,” she said.
Betty Quee’s husband Brian was one of the first soldiers to arrive in Vietnam in 1962.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Son James Quee brought his mum down from NSW to push her in the march.
“Dad turned 18 on the boat, and as soon as he got out here he joined the army,” James said. “He was in the occupying force in Japan and then had a career right through to the ’70s.”
James said his mum had “three kids under three” when her husband was first sent to Vietnam.
“She didn’t even know where Vietnam was or what was it because it was all hush-hush. She wasn’t allowed to tell anyone that he’d gone to special jungle training.”
Brian Quee battled post-traumatic stress and died 11 years ago.
“Anzac Day is a huge emotional day for us,” said James. “I still get very choked up when I’m talking about dad. I’m so proud of his achievements and what he accomplished in the army.”
James made the decision to travel from NSW so that his mum could experience the atmosphere of the Melbourne march.
“You’re seeing the appreciation that other people have, the clapping and cheering,” he said.
“I thought, ‘She deserves this’. She did it pretty tough.”