The untold stories of the nurses of the Vietnam War have been brought to life in a way that has never been done before.
A Maroochydore-based composer has spent the past 18 months writing the music for an opera, to honour the 43 incredible women who worked tirelessly to ensure their patients recovered and returned home to their families.
The opera The Nurses at Vung Tau coincides with the 60th anniversary of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
Internationally-recognised composer, Dr Brenton Broadstock, who has been writing music for 40 years, told Sunshine Coast News he was intrigued when he was asked to work on the project.
He said it was the first time, to his knowledge, an opera had been written on the Vietnam War.
The opera is based off a series of poems and texts written by Brisbane soprano and performance artist Elizabeth Lewis.
“Having been a composer for so long, I wasn’t aware and I’m not aware of any other operas about the Vietnam War,” Dr Broadstock said.
“That really piqued my interest.
“Elizabeth contacted me some time ago through a mutual friend because she had some poems she had written after doing a lot of interviews with some of the former nurses of the Vietnam War.
“The texts were really moving and evocative and gave very interesting views on nurses who served. When I saw these, I was very taken with them.”
Originally, Ms Lewis planned to create a song cycle, but Dr Broadstock suggested she transform the words into a libretto for what is now an 80-minute opera.
The story follows the journey of a nurse during her time in Vung Tau and the experiences of pain and joy, which occurred while she is there.
In April 1967, four Royal Australian Army Nurses Corps (RAANC) nurses arrived in Vung Tau in Vietnam.
They were the first Australian Army nurses to be sent to the conflict and over the course of the war, a total of 43 RAANC nurses served between 1967 and 1971.
Dr Broadstock said it was an important untold story that spoke of a side of war that was not often front of mind.
“It was really good to write a story about women who went to war and did this fantastic job,” he said.
“I have met some of these nurses and spoken to them and it is incredibly moving to hear their stories about what they had to actually deal with.
“We are talking about the 60s when medicine was primitive by today’s standards, and what they had to deal with, treating the incredibly wounded soldiers. And they had a 99 per cent success rate in getting them out alive, which is incredible.”
The opera encompasses a range of emotions including pathos, anger and humour through the dramatic events of the story and Dr Broadstock said it was a challenging, but exciting, opera to compose during most of the pandemic.
“It’s always challenging writing music and to find something new, original and creative that is engaging for people as well,” he said.
“For this particular opera, it was also about trying to find a real sense of on-stage drama as well.
“It needed to have a good story that reached a climax and told the beautiful, emotive stories for all the different characters.
“A has been a very exciting project and I am glad we are at a point now where it can come together.”
A professor of music at the University of Melbourne for 30 years, Dr Broadstock moved to Maroochydore be closer to his children and grandchildren.
He said the world of composing music had changed over the decades and it was important to keep opera relevant, original and exciting for audiences.
“Being original in a world where we are so flooded with options and information is crucial,” he said.
“When I started out you didn’t have everything at your fingertips and now you can listen to everything anywhere in the world.
“You have to be a bit of a camel with your head in the sand, so to speak, and not listen to too much because you have to keep that sense of originality.”
The Nurses at Vung Tau is on at Brisbane’s Sommerville House from June 23 to 26. Tickets via The Nurses at Vung Tau.
