Sydney Quiet As Troops Parade

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31041, 22 April 1966, Page 11

Sydney Quiet As Troops Parade

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) SYDNEY, April 21. About 1300 “Diggers” of the new Australian task force for Vietnam marched through Sydney today in the biggest Army parade seen in the city since the Korean War.

Thousands of people crowding city streets watched the hour-long march in almost total silence. First reports indicated that pacifist and anti-Vietnam war

groups, who had threatened to demonstrate, had kept well clear. Occasional clapping broke out as the troops, in full battle dress, marched past, but each time it quickly died. More than 320 police were on duty in case there were any disturbances. Tight security precautions were taken after a reported threat to assassinate the Governor of New South Wales (Sir Roden Cutler). Detectives shadowed him from Government House to the Town Hall where he took the salute. There were no incidents. The marchers represented all sections of the Ist Task Force in New South Wales. Just over 100 members of the force left bv air for Vietnam on Tuesday as an advance party. The others will go by sea and air over the next few weeks. More than 450 of the marchers were national ser-vicemen—2o-year-old youths called up for two years' army service under the Compulsory Selective Conscription Act introduced last year.