Wheatley VC Rest Area
Lake George, NSW
Federal Highway (M23)
At a Glance
About
The Wheatley VC Rest Area is stop 16 of 20 on the Remembrance Driveway, situated alongside the Federal Highway (M23) near Lake George in New South Wales. Positioned between the Badcoe VC Rest Area to the north and the Anderson VC Rest Area ahead, this stop honours Warrant Officer Class 2 Kevin Arthur 'Dasher' Wheatley — a Sydney-born soldier whose actions in Vietnam on 13 November 1965 represent one of the most profound acts of loyalty and courage in Australian military history. Wheatley was born in Surry Hills, NSW, on 13 March 1937 and joined the Australian Army, serving with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in Malaya before going on to serve with the 2nd and 1st Battalions. By August 1964 he had been promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2, and in 1965 he was posted to the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam. On 13 November 1965, during a search-and-destroy operation in the Tra Bong Valley, Quảng Ngãi Province, South Vietnam, Wheatley's platoon came under heavy fire from Viet Cong forces. His fellow Australian, Warrant Officer Ronald 'Butch' Swanton, was shot and gravely wounded. Under intense machine-gun and rifle fire, Wheatley half-dragged and half-carried Swanton out of open rice paddies, refusing to abandon his comrade despite the overwhelming odds against them both. Kevin Wheatley died that same day. He was 28 years old. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his extraordinary valour and selfless dedication to a mate in the most desperate of circumstances. The rest area itself is open 24 hours a day and is well equipped for travellers on a long drive. Facilities include toilets, covered shelter, picnic tables, BBQs, and dedicated truck parking, making it suitable for caravans and heavy vehicles as well as passenger vehicles. There is no formal maximum stay posted, but this is a roadside rest area intended for short breaks. Take a moment here — the commemorative context of the Remembrance Driveway gives even a brief stop genuine meaning.
Victoria Cross Recipient
Warrant Officer Class 2 Kevin Arthur Wheatley VC
Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV)
Kevin Arthur 'Dasher' Wheatley was born in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills on 13 March 1937. He joined the Australian Army and served with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in Malaya from 1957 to 1959, before further service with the 2nd and 1st Battalions. He was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2 in August 1964 and posted to the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam in 1965.
On 13 November 1965, Wheatley was on a search-and-destroy operation in the Tra Bong Valley, Quảng Ngãi Province, with fellow Australian Warrant Officer Ronald 'Butch' Swanton, when their platoon came under heavy fire from Viet Cong forces. Swanton was shot and gravely wounded. Under intense machine-gun and rifle fire, Wheatley half-dragged and half-carried Swanton out of open rice paddies into the comparative safety of nearby jungle. Although told that Swanton was dying, Wheatley refused to leave his mate. Urged a second time to withdraw, he still refused. He pulled the pins from his two grenades and waited beside his motionless companion as the enemy closed in. Two grenade explosions were heard, followed by several bursts of enemy fire.
Wheatley was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross — the first Australian to receive the VC in the Vietnam War. His extraordinary loyalty and refusal to abandon a dying comrade, knowing it meant certain death, remains one of the most poignant acts of mateship in Australian military history. He was twenty-eight years old.
Born 13 March 1937, Surry Hills, NSW. Died 13 November 1965, Tra Bong, South Vietnam.
References
Remembrance Driveway →
Stop 16 of 20 along the Remembrance Driveway
View all 20 stops
- Sir Roden Cutler VC Rest Area
- Partridge VC Rest Area Southbound
- Kenna VC Rest Area
- Keith Payne VC Rest Area
- Gordon VC Rest Area
- Mackey VC Rest Area
- Kingsbury VC Rest Area
- Chowne VC Rest Area
- Derrick VC Rest Area
- French VC Rest Area
- Kibby VC Rest Area
- Edmondson VC Rest Area
- Gratwick VC Rest Area
- Gurney VC Rest Area
- Badcoe VC Rest Area
- Wheatley VC Rest Area
- Anderson VC Rest Area
- Middleton VC Rest Area
- Newton VC Rest Area
- Edwards VC Rest Area
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EPIC (Exhibition Park Campground)
$? · 27.6km