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Painting the Qui Nhon Hospital

Submitted by Peter Crotty on 4 August 2008 - 4:29am.

Outside the New Zealand Surgical Team accomodation

I was based in Singapore with 41 Squadron at RAF Tengah from 1973 to 1975. During this time I was part-time aircrew on Bristol Freighters (B170). We flew sorties into South Vietnam delivering mail and other correspondence into Saigon, and medical supplies to the hospital in Qui Nhon.

In 1973 I was part of a RNZAF team assigned to paint the hospital in Qui Nhon using a new type of water based paint supplied by the Dulux Paint Company. The end result was excellent and the hospital became the brightest place in Qui Nhon. Despite the basic conditions at the hospital, everyone coped well and were generally very happy. The patients, mainly war victims were quite co-operative while the painting was being done and everyone in the hospital wards just loved posing for their photos to be taken.

The other highlight was that we were all treated to helicopter rides towards the DMZ and out to the islands off the coast off Qui Nhon where we were surrounded by the local children. I really enjoyed doing the sorties into Qui Nhon and Saigon and had the opportunity to do some shopping and bargaining while on overnight stays. My experience was very rewarding indeed.

See more Peter Crotty photos below.

View over Qui Nhon, circa 1973
The Qui Nhoh Hospital painting team, circa 1973
The maternity ward at Qui Nhon Hospital, circa 1973
Peter Crotty [middle] in conversation with South Vietnamese pilot, circa 1973
Hospital entrance
Interior of hospital ward, Qui Nhon, circa 1973
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Comments

THERE IS 1 COMMENT
quinhon72 commented:
Fri, 26 September 2008 - 07:33am
I remember the 41 Sqn Painting team very well as I was the Admin Officer for the NZ Surgical Team which was based at the Province Hospital Qui Nhon. The painting team did very well. We managed to accommodate and feed them with the odd trip around the local Vietnamese countryside. We even managed a visit to Song Cau which was a beautiful beach location about a hour out from Qui Nhon where the 41 Sqn boys enjoyed a refreshing swim. The Vietnamese Hospital Staff were eternally grateful for the paint job and to the guys who gave up their PA leave to come to Qui Nhon and cover the hospital (and themselves) with NZ made acrylic paint the like of which the Vietnamese had never seen before! Ken Treanor AO NZ Surgical Team Qui Nhon 1972-73.