WHEN THE HIPCHICKS WENT TO WAR

BY PAMELA RUSHBY

TEACHERS NOTES

BY ROBYN SHEAHAN‐BRIGHT

Contents: • Introduction • Before Reading the Novel • Themes • Characters • Setting • Writing Style • Creative Arts Activities • Further Topics for Discussion & Research • Conclusion • About the Author • Bibliography • About the Author of the Notes

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INTRODUCTION ‘I didn’t come back the same girl I was when I left.’ (p 1)

Sixteen‐year old Kathleen O’Rourke receives the unexpected opportunity to escape the boredom of 1960s Brisbane suburbia and her apprenticeship as a hairdresser, when she successfully auditions as one of a trio of entertainers who meet at the audition and decide to call themselves the Hipchicks. The only catch is that they are to entertain the Australian troops serving in the War. Kathy, Layla and Gaynor set off without having any idea of what is ahead of them.

This is a rite of passage story with a difference – because Kathy’s transition from a sixteen‐year‐old teenager to an adult is not about her first kiss, or her first job, or her first loss – instead it’s about witnessing death, and horrifically wounded or traumatised soldiers. Her ‘growing up’ is dramatically hastened by what she witnesses in a war zone.

Her life really will never be the same again.

BEFORE READING THE NOVEL y Examine the cover of the novel. What does it suggest about the novel’s themes? y Read about the history of the and about the treatment of local people by foreign soldiers. y Read about Vietnamese culture and the influence of French Colonialism and later of powers such as the USA, China and Russia in the history of the region. y Read about the Australian Vietnam veterans who returned from war and their subsequent lives.

THEMES

Two major themes might be identified in this novel, and sub‐topics within them:

1. VIETNAM WAR Sub‐Topics to be covered in this theme include the history of the Vietnam War, French colonialism in Vietnam, ’s involvement in the war, conscription, protest and politics, the role of entertainers in the war, women in war, casualties of war, media ethics in war, war songs and celebrations, and the aftermath of the war.

• History of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975. The war was fought between the communist North Vietnam – the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the communist guerilla army known as the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF or Vietcong) – supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and other member nations of the Southeast Asia Treaty

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Organization (SEATO). [See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War] It is also sometimes referred to as the American War, particularly in Vietnam. Essentially a conflict between North and South Vietnam, the US became involved largely because of the fact that North Vietnam was communist.

Activity: Read about the background to the war, and the influence of the leaders in power at the time. There are still many conflicting views and some propaganda about the role of the parties involved.

Activity: Read about Ho Chi Minh (1890‐1969), his creation of the Vietnamese Communist Party in 1930, and the division of Vietnam into the North(led by Ho) and the South led by Ngo Dinh Diem(1901‐1963) following the Geneva Accords of 1954.

• French Colonialism in Vietnam

Vietnam was under Colonial French rule from the latter nineteenth century until 1955.

Activity: Research its colonial history. Question: What scenes in the novel demonstrated colonialist attitudes in any of the characters? Question: What traces of colonialism are evident in the action?

• Australia’s Involvement in the War

The US’s staunch ally Australia became involved in Vietnam from 1962, and in 1965 sent combat troops in a policy often paraphrased as ‘All the Way with LBJ’, referring to the President of the US, Lyndon B. Johnson who took office after the untimely assassination of John F Kennedy in 1963. , Australia’s Prime Minister, was a staunch supporter until he went missing while swimming at Portsea in 1967. There were three Liberal PMs subsequent to Holt’s death, and then a Labor PM Edward (1972‐5). Troops were withdrawn subsequent to a growing swell of protests in Australia culminated in the moratoriums in 1970, but Australia’s involvement was not proclaimed at an end by the Governor‐General until 11 January 1973.

Activity: Research the history of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War [See the website including entries: ‘Vietnam 1962‐1975’ http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/vietnam.asp and ‘Australians in the Vietnam War: Reading List’ http://www.awm.gov.au/research/bibliographies/vietnam.asp]

Activity: The novel doesn’t reveal very much about the local Vietnamese people, which is sadly descriptive of the nature of the engagement. Few of the US, Australian or NZ soldiers had any real contact with locals and if they did, they were sometimes seeking military information rather than attempting to forge real relationships with them. Research and discuss.

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Activity: New Zealand also sent soldiers to the conflict. Read and compare their experiences to those of Australian soldiers. [See Leon Davidson’s Red Haze: Australians and New Zealanders in Vietnam Black Dog Books, 2006.]

• Conscription

The subject of Conscription is raised in the novel when Mick gets his call‐up (pp 14‐15) and the random nature of the process is queried. The ‘Save Our Sons’ movement is mentioned, as are the protests and the ploys (pp 16‐17) by which some men deliberately failed the medical in order to resist the draft.

Activities: Research conscription and its outcomes. What was the fate of conscientious objectors? Had Australian attitudes to war changed by the 1960s, from the views held during the previous conflicts in the Korean War and WWII?

Activities: One of the most famous of conscripts was Normie Rowe, then a famous pop singer in Australia. Research his life and the effect of the war on his future. [See Normie Rowe’s Website [http://www.normierowe.com/_frames/mfp_.htm]; and ‘Talking Heads with Peter Thompson Transcript of Interview with Normie Rowe’ [http://www.abc.net.au/talkingheads/txt/s1565435.htm]; and Normie Rowe singing one of his hits ‘Que Sera Sera’ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=‐YIuEHDzmsQ&feature=related] and a war song ‘Missing in Action’ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nT6SpNaekQ&feature=related]

Activities: One of the most tragic stories of conscripts is that of Errol Noack (1945‐1966) the first national serviceman killed in the conflict. Some have suggested that he was killed by ‘friendly fire’, although others disagree. Read about his death. [See http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150564b.htm]

• Protest and Politics

Every social issue attracts conflicting viewpoints, and protesters against Vietnam weren’t initially thought highly of by either the government or the general public. But as the war dragged on, opposition to it grew, and later the views of protesters moved closer to becoming the consensus view of the conflict, so that later many of the innocent men conscripted were consequently treated like pariahs.

Activity: On p 47 Cheryl describes how politicians accused their protest group of being communists. This sort of reaction is typical of governments when challenged. In today’s environment protesters against recent issues such as the treatment of refugees or the invasion of Iraq have been labeled terrorist sympathisers. Discuss the difficulties involved in changing government policies.

Activity: On p 102 the girls witness the horrific self‐immolation of a Buddhist monk protesting against the government. On June 11, 1963, Thich Quang Duc was the first to do so on a busy street corner in Saigon. [See http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com/burning‐monk‐the‐self‐immolation‐1963.html] [See further

When the Hipchicks went to War – Pamela Rushby Teacher’s Guide 2009 Page 4 of 18 www.hachettechildrens.com.au information at ‘Thich Quang Duc’ Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c] Discuss the role of such incidents in turning public opinion.

Activity: Kathleen gets a letter from Terry about the protests he is involved in at home and is furious, given that Mick and Scotty and Davo are doing such dangerous work (p 219) as soldiers. To people like her, the reality of war makes the protest movement seem naïve. Discuss.

Activity: Kathleen’s working class background is contrasted to Cheryl’s more affluent family and to their liberal values. Both Cheryl and her older Brother Terry become involved in the struggle against the Vietnam war while Kathleen’s older brother goes to war and she goes there as an entertainer. Is protest often a class issue as well? Activity: Read this passage: ‘Home. I’d been away less than six months. But everything was different. No. That was wrong … It was me who was different.’(p 242) Discuss.

Question: How is the protest movement depicted in this novel? Discuss.

Activity: Watch the television mini‐series ‘Vietnam’ (Director: John Duigan Producer: Kennedy Miller Productions 1987) which deals with the experiences of those who stayed at home. What might Kathleen’s mother have been through while her son and daughter were away?

• Entertainers

Entertainers were flown in to offer troops some taste of home and comfort, where they had precious little relief from conflict, so that their rest times were highly valued.

Activity: Discuss the role and experiences of entertainers in war zones. The less than glamorous life of a war entertainer is summed up in the novel (p 131). Entertaining Vietnam is a website for former entertainers to share their photos and experiences of the Vietnam War. Lucky Starr, Johnny O’Keefe, and the Joy Boys, Dinah Lee, and Little Pattie(Patricia Thompson nee Patricia Amphlett) were some of the Australian artists who toured. [See http://groups.msn.com/EntertainingVietnam/shoebox1.msnw] Research one of them eg Little Pattie. Australian War Memorial 9991810 Patricia Thelma ‘Little Pattie’ Amphlett, OAM http://www.awm.gov.au/people/1078570.asp] Question: The Hipchicks are given no briefing about the Vietnamese culture before they are sent over. For example, Kathy writes about seeing the people working in the fields and then concludes: ‘Were these Vietcong? They looked just like… people.’ (p 118) Would they be better prepared for war today, should they be entertainers going to Iraq, for example? Question: The reality of war hits when the girls are issued with army uniforms to protect them at the front (pp 108‐9). Until then the dangers aren’t apparent to them. (eg On the afternoon of 18 August 1966 at Nui Dat, When the Hipchicks went to War – Pamela Rushby Teacher’s Guide 2009 Page 5 of 18 www.hachettechildrens.com.au when the began, Little Pattie and Col Joye and the Joy Boys were performing. ‘They were whisked away to the battalion lines as a safety measure’. [See http://www.5rar.asn.au/gallery/lee1.htm]) Listen to Little Pattie’s interview [See http://vietnam‐war.commemoration.gov.au/combat/long‐tan‐battle‐vid‐ f10648.php] Discuss.

• Women in War

The note at the end of the novel points out that ‘About one thousand Australian women lived and worked in Vietnam during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and early 1970s.’

Activity: Research the role of women in the war, by reading the book which Pamela Rushby mentions in her Author’s note: Minefields and Miniskirts by Siobhán McHugh (Doubleday, 1993, Lothian, 2003).

Activity: One of the first warnings the Hipchicks have is not about the enemy but about their own men and their likely behavior on spotting women in the camp (pp 124‐5). The idea of death by ‘friendly fire’ (being killed by your own troops as Layla is) and of rape by one’s own men is a prospect faced by women in war. Discuss.

Activity: Jan feels frustrated that as a woman she’s not sent out to cover the real war. How were women journalists treated generally during the Vietnam War?

Activity: Read other novels about women in war and compare and discuss the issues which confront them. eg Jackie French’s A Rose for the Anzac Boys.

• Casualties of War

The important role played by medical personnel and by organizations such as the Red Cross is evinced in the novel too.

Activity: Read Kathy’s reflections on their time at the hospital base (pp 133‐7) and discuss the impressions it gives you of work in such an army hospital.

Activity: The trauma of war is clear in this novel which shows how some turned to drug use in order to control their fear and panic. Kathy reveals (p 142) how much she would later sometimes regret disposing of the sleeping tablets given to her. Research the trauma created by war and the Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder suffered by many veterans.

Question: Layla is killed by a traumatized soldier who has no real idea of what he is doing. This is sadly typical of many cases documented on the websites listed in the Bibliography below. Can anyone escape war unscathed?

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• Media Ethics in War

The novel canvases the question of media ethics a number of times. The Vietnam War was the first to be intensively covered by television cameras as well as newspaper reporters. This fuelled the growing opposition to the war as relatives and friends at home to could actually witness the nature and scale of the conflict.

Question: The girls hear from Jan about her role as a war correspondent (pp 104‐5) and the difficulties involved as a female reporter. The ethics of her role is another big question, and in the end Kathleen is disappointed in her when she tries to get a ‘scoop’ from them after Layla’s death. Discuss the balance between doing your job as a reporter and taking advantage of people.

Question: The famous photo of the monk who self‐immolated begs the question how far should photographers go in depicting horrendous events ?

Activity: How much restriction was placed on the Australian media in its coverage of the Vietnam War? Research this subject.

• War Songs and Celebrations

Songs which celebrate war or criticise it, and national celebrations such as Anzac Day, also contribute to our understanding of war.

Activity: Listen to some of the songs written about war and soldiers’ involvement.eg ‘Can You Hear Australia’s Heroes Marching’ words and performance of a song written to remember those who have fallen. [See http://www.australianwarheroes.com]; John Schumann and his band Red Gum’s anti‐war song ‘I was Only Nineteen (A Walk in the Light Green)’ (1983)[See http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt‐Urtiyp‐ G6jY/redgum_i_was_only_19_1983/]; ‘Postcards from Saigon’ by James Blundell can be heard on the website of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia [See http://www.vvaa.org.au/news.htm]; ‘Smiley’ (1969) written by and sung by Ronnie Burns was said to have been inspired by Normie Rowe’s conscription and service. [See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3__s39V3mYE] Write your own war song. Activity: The novel ends on Anzac Day. Research its history and discuss how its meaning has changed in the nation’s eyes.

• Aftermath of War

In the aftermath of war, no matter who is the victor, men and women are left damaged on both sides of a conflict. The existence of both the Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) and the Vietnam Veterans

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Association of Australia (VVAA), and of archives such as those held at the Australian War Memorial(AWM) suggest that war leaves a permanent scar on a country which cannot be erased.

Activity: Coming home from the war was painful for many returned soldiers who were shunned by those at home, who simply didn’t understand what they’d been through. Students might watch any of the films: Coming Home (Director: Hal Ashby, 1978), The Deer Hunter (Director Michael Cimino, 1978), or Born on The Fourth of July (Director: Oliver Stone, 1989) as an idea of what soldiers experienced. Discuss.

Activity: The responses to Vietnam veterans were mixed and there were a range of reasons why many still feel slighted. Read ‘Vietnam War Myths’ Australia and the Vietnam War [See http://vietnam‐ war.commemoration.gov.au/vietnam‐war‐myths/ which outlines the complexity of the situation in brief. ]

Activity: Read the reception Kathy and her friends get at the RSL Club on Anzac Day (pp 254‐5). Why do some veterans of previous wars call Vietnam ‘not a real war’? And why did returned soldiers receive such rough treatment? (See pp 256‐7)

Question: The Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial in was unveiled by then Prime Minister Paul Keating only in 1992. Why did it take so long for the official recognition, and what events led to it?

2. Society and Change in the 1960s Sub‐Topics to be covered in this theme include changes in society, social and political protest, and the changing status of women.

• Changes in Society

This novel makes clear how much has changed in society since ‘the swinging sixties’. But a lot changed in that decade too. For this was an era heralding the beginning of a new casual freedom in behavior and dress as evinced by the Mods who hang out at the Cave. It depicts the life lived by a teenager in 60s Brisbane and how Kathleen’s life is circumscribed by her lack of transport, her lack of funds, and her lack of work options. It shows how she and her fellow Hipchicks were desperate to escape these confines and to spread their wings.

Question: What changes came about in Australian society during the 1960s? What were some of the milestone events? [See for an overview: SKWIRK Interactive Schooling ‘Social and cultural features of the 1960s’ http://www.skwirk.com/p‐t_s‐14_u‐189_t‐507/social‐and‐cultural‐features‐of‐the‐ 1960s/nsw/history/australia‐s‐social‐and‐cultural‐history‐in‐the‐post‐war‐period]

Activity: Discuss the social features of the era including fashion, leisure pursuits etc. [See ‘60s Images [Australia]’ http://images.google.com.au/images?sourceid=navclient&hl=en‐GB&rlz=1T4GGLF_en‐

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GBAU221AU221&q=images+of+the+1960s+Australia&um=1&ie=UTF‐ 8&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title]

Activity: Discuss the changes you notice in the text between teenage behaviour now and then eg alcohol was forbidden for anyone under 21, and clubs like The Cave didn’t have a liquor licence. Compare this to the access to alcohol which is attached to nearly every leisure and sporting venue visited by young people today. Debate the pros and cons of attitudes then and now.

Question: Read other books set in 60s Brisbane such as Hugh Lunn’s Over the Top with Jim and sequels. What picture of Brisbane life do they depict? How has Brisbane changed?

• Social and Political Protest

This was also the era of the beginning of protest evinced by the ‘uni types’ who hang out at the Folk Club in this novel. Not only did they protest about war [see above] but about a range of other issues such as working conditions, access to education etc.

Question: What were the landmark protests and rallies? E.g. Moratoriums in 1970.

• Changing Status of Women

Underlying all the action in the novel is the question of women’s rights.

Questions: What were the landmark events in the 60s and 70s history of feminism? eg the publication of Germaine Greer’s The Female Eunuch (1970).

Question: Which particular events in the novel raise the issue of women’s rights?

CHARACTERS

Key characters include: Kathleen O’Rourke, her brother Mick, and her partners in the Hipchicks, Layla and Gaynor. Minor characters include: Kathleen’s mother, father and siblings, Cheryl, Kathleen’s former best friend and neighbor, Terry, Cheryl’s brother, a law student and anti‐war demonstrator, Scotty and Davo, Mick’s fellow soldiers, Hank, the GI who helps the girls when they are stranded in Vietnam, Jan Petty, an Australian journalist in Saigon, the members of the entertaining troop including the feisty Cleo, and Doug and Marty the organizers. Activity: Draw up a character chart and find key quotes which give a clear picture of the natures of any of these characters, and isolate events which demonstrate their natures. Then write a brief character study of the person using the quotes and events to illustrate the points made in your summary.

Question: What are the values evinced by each of the three Hipchicks? Are they different?

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Question: Why does Kathleen’s attitude to Terry change in the course of the novel?

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SETTING

This novel is largely set in Vietnam (although initially it is also set in Brisbane, Queensland). Students may wish to explore the following sub‐topics:

• Geography and Topography of Vietnam

Activity: Read Kathy’s first impressions of the locale ‘We came over a coastline…marks on the ground.’ (p 67) Or her later impressions: ‘Flat, green fields … close to the houses?’ (p 117).

Activity: Try to find out more about the geography of the area where these conflicts took place. [See ‘Map of Phuoc Tuy Province’ http://vietnam‐war.commemoration.gov.au/phuoc‐tuy‐province/map‐phuoc‐tuy.php]

Activity: Saigon is now called Ho Chi Minh City and some of the buildings mentioned have been fully restored eg The Post Office, the Opera House and the Majestic Hotel which is now a lavish heritage hotel popular with travelers. [See http://www.majesticsaigon.com.vn/] Find out about the history of Saigon and its post‐war redevelopment. Question: Nui Dat, in Phuoc Tuy Province, the site of the operational base of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF), is described as a ‘sprawling city of men’ (p 175). What is left of it now? Activity: Examine maps of the various battles during the war. [See‘The Battle of Long Tan’ http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/vietnam/longtan.html Activity: Examine images of the war with your students to give them an idea of the localities through which the Hipchicks travel. [See Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia ‘Images 1966‐7’ http://www.vvaa.org.au/images.htm] Question: What were the lasting physical effects of bombing and of the conflict in Vietnam? For example Kathy writes of ‘areas where the jungle had been stripped, destroyed, not a leaf on a tree.’(p 67) Read about the effects of Agent Orange, napalm and other substances on the landscape and the people. y Vietnamese Culture and Customs

Activity: Research the lifestyle of these people and how the war changed it. Find references in the novel to local customs. eg Men holding hands (p 82), or streets full of people eating on the footpaths (p 194) etc.

WRITING STYLE

This novel might be studied in terms of a range of aspects of style: y Devices such as simile, metaphor, personification are used. For example, a simile: ‘Then there were vivid green, squared‐off fields, … brown paths dividing them like the squares in my old maths graph book. In patches between them were areas of darker green, ribbed like corduroy.’(p 67) Activity: Find other examples of the use of these devices in this text.

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• The language of war is full of acronyms as the girls discover on their first day in Saigon (pp 88‐9).

Question: What other words were used in this and subsequent conflicts as jargon describing events? y The story is told from Kathleen’s First Person Narrative Point of View. Activity: How might their first journey into Goh Kong Province (pp 114‐120) have been reported by Layla instead?

Activity: Write a story from the perspective of Mick as a soldier in Vietnam. y Suspense is created by clues being laid in the narrative as cues to future action. Activity: Mark in the text any comments which suggest the future action in the novel. y The Structure of the story can be analysed in terms of the key narrative features of abstract, orientation, complicating action, resolution, evaluation and coda outlined by William Labov. Activity: Draw up a chart and identify these key points in this novel’s narrative structure. • This story falls into several genres – the rite of passage, war story, and romance. [See Themes above]. Questions: Rite of Passage: Has Kathy grown up? Or has she had her youth taken away from her? War Story: How is war depicted in this novel? Romance: Is Kathy’s romance with Scott or Terry likely to be renewed? Why? Why Not? Activity: Compare this to other novels about the Vietnam War or its aftermath such as Walter Dean Myers’ Fallen Angels; Michael Hyde’s Hey Joe; Brian Caswell and David Phu An Chiem’s Only the Heart; Gerard Michael Bauer’s The Running Man or Denis Johnson’s Tree of Smoke; or memoirs such as Kim Huynh’s Where the Sea Takes Us: A Vietnamese Australian Story (Harper Perennial, 2007). Also compare it to other novels in which a teenage protagonist is experiencing war. eg Pix and Me by Carolyn Ching; How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff; The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne or David Metzenthen’s Boys of Blood and Bone.

CREATIVE ARTS ACTIVITIES

Music, film, art, drama and rehearsed readings of poetry, prose and scripts might be used to enhance students’ understanding of this novel and its messages. Activity: Read poems about soldiers’ experiences during the Vietnam War [See The Vietnam Experience’ http://www.vietnamexp.com/poems/poems.htm] Discuss some of them. Visit ‘Bruce Dawe Anti War Poet Interview and Curriculum Materials’ to conduct a unit on Bruce Dawe’s anti‐war views and poetry. [See http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au/module/1194] Have students read some of these poems aloud as part of their exploration of this unit. Activity: Make a list of some of the 1960s bands or singers or songs mentioned in the novel. eg Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’; Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now’; John Denver’s song ‘I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane’ sung by Peter, Paul and Mary; ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction’ by The Rolling Stones; ‘We Gotta Get Outta This Place’ by The Animals; Donovan’s ‘Universal Soldier’ or ‘Catch the Wind’. Play some of this music in the classroom, or

When the Hipchicks went to War – Pamela Rushby Teacher’s Guide 2009 Page 12 of 18 www.hachettechildrens.com.au have the students learn some of these songs when they organize a celebration of the 1960s [See below]. Read the words of ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ and discuss. [See http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/blowin‐wind] Listen to music of who have been quoted as saying that all their songs were anti‐war as they were about ‘peace, love and understanding’. Listen to Pete Seeger and Joe Hickerson’s ‘Where Have all the Flowers Gone?’(1961) which is said to be the best known song of the Vietnam War era, and was sung by Joan Baez, Peter Paul and Mary, The Countrymen amongst others. Read the lyrics and discuss. [See http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/flowers‐gone.shtml] Activity: Watch the film Good Morning, Vietnam (Director: Barry Levinson 1987) starring Robin Williams, which gives an entertaining overview of the role of a popular US disc jockey named Adrian Cronauer during the war.

Activity: Examine Gary Crew and Steven Woolman’s Tagged (1999) a graphic novel about the effects of the Vietnam War on a veteran. Discuss this work. Then create your own comic strip version of one of the incidents described in this novel.

FURTHER TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION & RESEARCH

1. The Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia’s website has a slogan at its head: ‘Honour the Dead but Fight Like Hell for the Living’. [See http://www.vvaa.org.au/] Discuss the impact of this statement. Come up with your own slogan for the organisation. 2. How have teenagers changed between 1960 and today?

3. References to 1960s popular culture are rife in this text. Isolate some of them and research their background. eg ‘wannabe‐Mod Types’(p 8); ‘So Carnaby Street’(p 13); ‘Mater Prize home’(p 14); Mary Quant‐ type bobs’(p 18).

4. What other title might this novel have had? Come up with an alternative, and design a cover to go with it.

5. Come up with your own name for a band or a group of dancers likely to have performed in the 1960s. Have a 1960s fancy dress day at your school and organize a performance of sixties music.

6. Pamela Rushby has written a number of novels drawing on historical subjects. Read some of them and compare them to this novel.

7. Wars may end but they leave a lasting effect. For example, the landmines left after war are a sombre reminder of the damage done to a country and its people even long after a conflict has finished. Research this further as a class. Visit Unicef’s or War Child International’s websites for more information.

8. What might the fate of Mick have been had he been captured in the war? Research the history of victims and prisoners of the Vietnam War. [See Bibliography below.]

9. What do you think Kathy might do with her future? At the end of the novel she has rejected both being a go‐go girl, and a hairdresser. What might she decide to do with her life? When the Hipchicks went to War – Pamela Rushby Teacher’s Guide 2009 Page 13 of 18 www.hachettechildrens.com.au

10. The novel concludes with the words ‘And the time we went to war.’ This novel is a memorial not only to those who fought, but to everyone who was touched by the Vietnam War. Discuss.

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CONCLUSION

The experiences of the Hipchicks are typical of those of the many civilians and women who became involved in the Vietnam War conflict, quite apart from the young enlisted men who suffered there. This novel reminds us that war is not simply about soldiers but about the many others who are when killed described as ‘collateral damage’. Layla’s death is a stark reminder that no one is safe in times of war ... no one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pamela Rushby was born in Queensland, and has worked in advertising, as a pre‐school teacher, and a freelance writer. She was a writer and producer of educational television, audio and multimedia for the Queensland Department of Education for sixteen years, and now freelances in children's and young adult fiction and non‐fiction; scriptwriting; and multimedia writing/designing. Pamela has had over 100 books published, including the young adult novels Circles of Stone (2003) and Millions of Mummies (2006). Pamela has two children and two grandchildren, and lives in Brisbane with her husband, a three‐legged cat and six visiting scrub turkeys.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fiction

Bauer, Gerard Michael The Running Man Scholastic, 2004.

Caswell, Brian and David Phu An Chiem Only the Heart UQP, 1997.

Ching, Carolyn Pix and Me Hachette Livre, 2008.

Crew, Gary and Woolman, Steven Tagged Lothian, 1999.

French, Jackie A Rose for the Anzac Boys Harper Collins, 2008. Hyde, Michael Hey Joe Vulgar Press, 2003.

Johnson, Denis Tree of Smoke Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2007.

Metzenthen, David Boys of Blood and Bone Penguin, 2005.

Myers, Walter Dean Fallen Angels Scholastic, 1988.

Rosoff, Meg How I Live Now Penguin,2004 .

Boyne, John The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Definitions, 2006.

Non‐Fiction

Biedermann, Narelle Tears on My Pillow: Australian Nurses in Vietnam Random House, 2004.

Davidson, Leon Red Haze: Australians and New Zealanders in Vietnam Black Dog Books, 2006.

Dugan, Michael Vietnam War Macmillan Education, 2000.

Ham, Paul Vietnam: The Australian War HarperCollins, 2007.

Hillman, Robert The Vietnam War Echidna Books, 2001.

Huynh, Kim Where the Sea Takes Us: A Vietnamese Australian Story Harper Perennial, 2007.

Lunn, Hugh Vietnam A Reporter’s War UQP, 1985.

McHugh, Siobhán Minefields and Miniskirts: Australian Women and Vietnam War Doubleday, 1993, Lothian, 2005. When the Hipchicks went to War – Pamela Rushby Teacher’s Guide 2009 Page 16 of 18 www.hachettechildrens.com.au

Rintoul, Stuart Ashes of Vietnam Australian Voices William Heinemann, 1987.

Willoughby, Douglas The Vietnam War (20th century Perspectives) Heinemann Library, 2001.

Websites

Australian War Memorial ‘Vietnam War’ http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/vietnam.asp

Australia and the Vietnam War http://vietnam‐war.commemoration.gov.au/

‘Battle of Long Tan: The Battle video footage’ [Interview with ‘Little Pattie’ Thompson by Greg Swanborough for ‘The Sharp End’] Australian and the Vietnam War http://vietnam‐ war.commemoration.gov.au/combat/long‐tan‐battle‐vid‐f10648.php

‘Children in War’ Unicef http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/ciwcont.htm

Fifth Battalion The Royal Association of Regiments Website http://www.5rar.asn.au/contents.htm

Labov, William, ‘Some Further Steps I n Narrative Analysis’ http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~wlabov/sfs.html

‘Noack, Errol Wayne (1945‐1966)’ Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150564b.htm

Returned & Services League of Australia http://www.rsl.org.au/

‘60s Images [Australia]’ http://images.google.com.au/images?sourceid=navclient&hl=en‐GB&rlz=1T4GGLF_en‐ GBAU221AU221&q=images+of+the+1960s+Australia&um=1&ie=UTF‐ 8&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title]

SKWIRK Interactive Schooling ‘Social and cultural features of the 1960s’ http://www.skwirk.com/p‐t_s‐14_u‐ 189_t‐507/social‐and‐cultural‐features‐of‐the‐1960s/nsw/history/australia‐s‐social‐and‐cultural‐history‐in‐the‐ post‐war‐period

‘Thich Quang Duc’ Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c]

Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia http://www.vvaa.org.au/

‘Vietnam War’ Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War

VietnamWar.net Educational, Entertainment, and Research Material Relevant to the Study of the Vietnam War http//:vietnamwar.net

War Child International http://www.warchild.org/

When the Hipchicks went to War – Pamela Rushby Teacher’s Guide 2009 Page 17 of 18 www.hachettechildrens.com.au

ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF THE NOTES

Dr Robyn Sheahan‐Bright operates justified text writing and publishing consultancy services, and is widely published on children’s literature, publishing history and Australian fiction. She also teaches writing for children and young adults at Griffith University (Gold Coast) where she gained her PhD for a thesis on the development of the Australian children’s publishing industry. Her latest publications are Paper Empires a History of the Book in Australia 1946‐2005(co‐edited with Craig Munro) (UQP, 2006) and Kookaburra Shells Port Curtis Literature (justified text press, 2006).

When the Hipchicks went to War – Pamela Rushby Teacher’s Guide 2009 Page 18 of 18 www.hachettechildrens.com.au