Victoria's snap Covid lockdown saw veteran entertainer Normie Rowe and his co-star Nina Ferro last week scrambling to get to Canberra so they could perform in The Vietnam Requiem, a powerful concert recognising the enduring impact of the Vietnam War, 50 years after Australia's withdrawal from the conflict.
They both just got out of Melbourne before the lockdown, giving them ample time to prepare for the groundbreaking work, which premieres at Llewellyn Hall this Saturday and Sunday.
"I was in Melbourne looking forward to spending some time with my daughter and her husband and my two grandkids. I had a show [in Melbourne on Saturday night] and that was obviously cancelled, so I thought, 'I better jump on the last plane out of Dodge'," Rowe said.
Rowe, 74, was Australia's king of pop when he was conscripted into the army and sent to Vietnam in 1969.
He has been instrumental in trying to achieve recognition and solace for Vietnam veterans, including spearheading the Vietnam Forces National Memorial, which now stands on Anzac Parade, and the Welcome Home Parade in 1987.
Created and directed by Chris Latham, The Vietnam Requiem marks 50 years since Australian withdrew from the conflict in 1971 and features performances by Rowe, Ferro, Little Pattie and John Schumann.
The first half features the music of the era; the second half the Vietnam Requiem, commissioned by the Australian War Memorial, and created by Australia's leading composers. It will feature William Barton on didgeridoo, members of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, ANU Chamber Orchestra, RAN, Army and RAAF Defence Force Bands and choirs.
Rowe said the "spine of a requiem was solemnity" and the show reflected that.
"It's not a celebration by any stretch. It's just completely the opposite to a celebration. It's probably a remembrance," Rowe said.
"It's for audiences, I guess, to feel what the true cost of war is, not just the casualties. It continues beyond that. It doesn't stop when the pebble goes in the pond - that ripple goes a long way."
Nina Ferro, an award-winning vocalist, in the concert recreates the last performance of Cathy Wayne, a 19-year-old Australian entertainer who died after being shot on stage while touring Vietnam in 1969. (A US marine was blamed for her death but maintained his innocence and was later released.) There were hundreds of entertainers who went over to Vietnam, and this moment within the requiem is to honour all of those entertainers.
"I didn't know her personally but she was shot right in the middle of my tour of duty and it affected us all deeply," Rowe said.
Ferro will sing the last song sung by Cathy Wayne, TheDock of the Bay.
"It was incredibly tragic. She was young, pregnant, just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Ferro said.
Rowe said while there was a lot of conjecture around the Vietnam War, Australian entertainers never hesitated to travel there to entertain the troops. "The most notable of them all was Lorrae Desmond, who we lost [last week] at the age of 91," he said. "We loved her very much, she was a fantastic lady."
Rowe said the pop songs of the Vietnam War era were as powerful as Vera Lynn's The White Cliffs of Dover was during World War II, and no less important.
As a soldier, he supported the professed anti-communism mission of the war but now says wryly: "In those days I was so young, that I even believed politicians. How stupid was I?"
- The Vietnam Requiem is at Llewellyn Hall in Canberra on Saturday and Sunday, both shows at 1pm. Tickets from ticketek.com.au.
