ANZAC CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL 2012

About John Norris: John Norris was born in New South Wales, Australia, and joined the Australian regular army in November 1964, completing 6 years of military service in the Infantry Corps where he spent 2 ½ years as an instructor and obtained combat experience during a tour of Viet Nam. He obtained the rank of Sergeant and was discharged in 1970. Since leaving the army he has been involved in a number of Veterans Groups, serving as the Treasurer of the Queensland Viet Nam Veterans Association, and working with RSL Groups to host local ANZAC Day services and educate school children about Australia's military history.

John Norris has provided service to Veterans by working as an Advocacy Liaison Officer and was awarded an Australia Day Award in 2004 for service to the community over the last ten years, John has combined his lifelong passion for military history and travel to lead tour groups to some of the world's most significant battle locations.


TOURS TAKEN:

Viet Nam:
In 2000, John organised a tour to Viet Nam with friends as a tourist, but loved the experience so much that he returned a further 11 times as a guide, taking Veterans and their families back to some of Australia's key military sites in the country and visiting many other historical and scenic locations. The tours gave Veterans the chance to experience the country in peacetime and to put painful memories of the past behind them - as well as allowing their families to learn more about their experiences. Over the years, John has made many good friends in Viet Nam, and one of the highlights of his tour is a visit with a former member of the Viet Cong where past foes sit to share a drink and some memories of days gone by.

As well as the military history, John is fascinated by the rich history of the Vietnamese and shares information and anecdotes for the many locations on the tour, including: Sai Gon, Vung Tau, Can Tho, Ben Tre, My Tho, Bien Hoa, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Danang, Hoi an, Hue, DMZ, Ha Noi, Ha long Bay, Cat Ba Island, Hoa Binh, Lao Cai, Bac Ha, Sa Pa & Dien Bien Phu.

Thailand:
John has spent five of the last six ANZAC Days in Thailand, leading tours to Hell Fire Pass, where he has taken his group on an 8km walking tour along the railway track to some of the stations that the Australians built and named, and providing a history of the area. He also participates in an ANZAC Day service with local community groups and has drawn on his lifelong love of military history to create a brochure with information about the first Dawn Service started in Australia.

During his many travels in Thailand, John has visited areas like: Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Chiang Mai, Chian Rai, The Golden Triangle, Ayutthaya, Pattaya & Phuket. As well as Siem Reap & Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

Middle East (Libya & Egypt):
In 2007, John joined a tour with a very special group of Veterans and participated in a commemorative tour to Libya and Egypt with some of the last remaining Rats of Torbuk. The group travelled first to Singapore then on to Athens (including a boat tour of the Greek Islands), before visiting Libya (which included Benghazi), Al Bayda, Appollonia, Derna and Tobruk. During their thee days in Tobruk the group lunched on the battlefield, visited Italian trenches which were taken by the Australians, and found the location where the first Australian to be honoured with the Victoria Cross in WWE was killed. They participated in a memorial Service at the Commonwealth Cemetery, visited the German & French Cemeteries and then travelled into Egypt to visit the Mersa Mathrouth, Alexandria, El Alamein and Cairo.

Western Front (Belgium & France):
John's last ANZAC day tour was in 2008 when he escorted a group of school children to the Western Front, where the students visited Waterloo, Ypres, Fromelles, Bullecourt, Pozieres, Villers-Bretonneux and the Normandy Beaches.

2012 will be John's second visit to Turkey; having visited first in 2008 the country as a tourist in 2008 and he looks forward to sharing his knowledge of the rich history of the ANZACs with TravelShop Turkey tour participants.