ADELAIDE, South Australia: The Sarawak flag flew with quiet pride at the head of a solemn procession through Adelaide on Anzac Day this year (April 25), as Australian veterans of the Malayan and Borneo campaigns gathered once more to honour the men who served – and those who never came home.
Led by Confrontation veteran Don Cameron, the contingent of the National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association Australia Inc (NMBVAA) marched through the South Australian capital in tribute to their fallen comrades, the Iban Trackers who guided them through Borneo’s jungles, and all Commonwealth and Malaysian forces who gave their lives in the undeclared wars that followed World War 2.
A Day of Solemn Remembrance
Anzac Day – Australia’s most sacred commemorative occasion – traces its origins to the landing of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers on the Gallipoli Peninsula on April 25, 1915.
Over more than a century, the word ‘Anzac’ has grown to embody courage, resilience and mateship, and is honoured as a hallmark of all Australian and New Zealand service personnel.
The Anzac March itself is a moving tribute to the 103,000 Australian lives lost in wars and peacekeeping missions, its solemn progression evoking the image of soldiers accompanying a fallen comrade to his grave.
Fifty years after Gallipoli, a new generation of Anzacs was called upon – this time to stand beside the people of Sarawak in defence of their homeland against Indonesian Confrontation.
It is those men, and the Iban Trackers who served alongside them, that the South Australian branch of the NMBVAA marched to honour this year.
Veterans March In Memory of Iban Comrades
Confrontation veteran Don Cameron, Vice-President of the NMBVAA South Australia & Northern Territory Branch, once again led the contingent through Adelaide’s streets – a duty he has carried with quiet dedication in memory of the Iban Trackers he served beside in Sarawak sixty years ago.
His battalion was supported by 24 Iban Trackers, led overall by Banga Rima. The two trackers attached directly to Don’s platoon were Balling Ajong and Unchat Unyong, from the village of Kapit.
As Private Don Cameron, he served at the ‘Bukit Knuckle’ defensive position near Kampung Gumbang as a Rifleman with 6 Platoon, ‘B’ Company of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR).
Beside him in the march this year walked Oscar Johnsson, a veteran of the Malayan Emergency, the Malay Peninsula, Sarawak and South Vietnam.
He served with 3RAR’s ‘C’ Company near Kampung Serikin, and marched in memory of trackers Bala Sigaw, Ajak Badinding and Lulut Aloh.
Jeff Hiscock, who deployed with ‘C’ Company from March to June 1965, also marched in remembrance of trackers Bayak Magnetu, Balin Igam and Labok Rabar.
Jon Niejalke, who deployed with ‘D’ Company based at Bau, also participated – honouring the trackers assigned to his company: Balai Nyelang, Engan Jawan and Gani Dugu, alongside Banga Rima.
The Sarawak Flag: A Poignant Symbol
NMBVAA State President Major Paul Rosenzweig OAM (Retired) carried the Sarawak flag at the head of the march – a responsibility he bore with great solemnity.
The flag carried a deeply personal message: honouring the eleven Australian soldiers who lost their lives defending Sarawak during Confrontation, as well as the Iban Trackers and all Sarawakians who sacrificed in defence of their homeland.
Eight of those Australians died on operational service in Sarawak – four near Kampung Stass, one near Kampung Gumbang, one near Kampung Bokah, and two swept away in a river crossing – while a further three died after being evacuated.
“Their sacrifice was not in vain, upholding the sovereignty of Sarawak. Lest we forget,” he said.
Fallen Together: Australian and Iban
Among the most poignant losses recalled this Anzac Day was an incident near Kampung Stass on March 23, 1965, when a patrol struck an Indonesian anti-personnel mine near the border.
Sergeant Reg Weiland was killed instantly. Iban Tracker Mudah Jali, wounded in the same blast, died of his injuries as his comrades carried him back to the 3RAR base camp.
Australian and Iban – they had served together, and they fell together.
60 Years On: A Pilgrimage To Sarawak
This year’s Anzac Day observance carried special significance: 2026 marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the Confrontation.
Major Rosenzweig – who has visited Sarawak six times – announced that the NMBVAA South Australia & Northern Territory Branch will conduct a commemorative pilgrimage to Sarawak in August.
The delegation will pay tribute at the sites where Australians fell and will also make donations to four schools it sponsors in communities once occupied by Australian forces during the Confrontation: SK Gumbang, SK Serebak, SK Stass and SK Suba Buan.
For Don Cameron, who has returned to Sarawak six times himself, the pilgrimage is a continuation of a lifelong commitment – to the people he served beside, and to the memory of those who did not survive the jungle campaigns of 1963-1966.
We will remember them.
Lest We Forget.
