But for some, the memories are buried so deep they can take 20 or 30 years to surface.

On the centenary of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli, the welfare and support of veterans is just as vital now as it was then, according to Vietnam veteran and Bathurst RSL Sub Branch pensions officer Bruce Irvine. 

He knows only too well how memories of war can linger for decades.

He was just 21 in 1967 when he was deployed to serve in the 131 Divisional Locating Battery under Australia’s National Service program.

“It’s like you’ve got an adrenaline rush 24-hours-a-day because you’re constantly on edge,” he said of his nine-month deployment.

“You can do that when you’re young, but it can come back and bite you on the bum when you’re older.”

Mr Irvine said many who return from a war zone are suffering physically and mentally, but are often reluctant to seek help.

“I can relate to it, you just want to get away and have nothing to do with it,” he said.

“People want to be self-sufficient.”

Guilt is another emotion military personnel often feel. Mr Irvine said 47 years since he served in Vietnam, he still holds guilt that his best mate died in battle the day Mr Irvine flew home from Saigon.

The ‘thousand-yard stare’ is a term commonly used among returning military personnel, according to Mr Irvine. It refers to the faraway glance many service personnel have while thinking about their duty and things they have witnessed.

“It’s always fresh, it’s always there, it’s not going to go away and you learn to live with it,” he said of his memories of Vietnam.

As one of the sub branch’s five pensions officers, Mr Irvine assists ex-service personnel or veterans of all overseas deployments.

“Pensions officers are all volunteers and all ex-servicemen,” he said.

He said those suffering mental or physical injuries from their military service in Australia or overseas are often reluctant to get help, and this is where he comes in.

Mr Irvine can assist with accessing support on offer through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

“Over the years we’ve helped hundreds [of veterans]. Some need assistance over a period of time,” he said.

“Part of that is to set them up to receive help, often they haven’t seen a doctor.”

Mr Irvine said personnel can have any number of illnesses or injuries when they return from service.

“A lot of the issues are of a mental nature, particularly with overseas servicemen,” he said.

“You just do what you do — it’s not until you come back that it hits you.

“The Afghanistan veterans are coming back now with their related injuries and illnesses.”

But not all illnesses are mental health-related, with personnel often returning with ear, knee and hip injuries.

“Until five or 10 years ago you were still getting inquiries from World War 2 veterans,” he said. 

“Gentlemen in that era returned thinking ‘I’m the man of the house and I’ve got to look after my family’. They didn’t seek help.

“It can take 20 or 30 years to surface ... the most difficult thing is to get them to come here.”

The Bathurst RSL Sub Branch’s welfare officers also provide weekly visits to 140 veterans in hospitals and nursing homes across the city.

“Help is there and it should be accessed or otherwise they’re not getting the life they deserve,” he said.

“It’s the core issue of what we do, it’s helping our mates and I think that’s why we all do that. It’s helping our own.”

Mr Irvine has encouraged any veterans from any battle to “come down and have a yarn” to the Bathurst RSL Sub Branch.

The branch is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am until 1pm.

Despite the images still fresh in his mind 47 years later, Mr Irvine said there were many positives during his time in National Service.

Camaraderie and mateship still exist between the men all these years later, with bonds that cannot be broken.

“The bonds and the camaraderie is something you don’t want to walk away from,” he said.

“You don’t have to explain anything, they just understand.

“I’m still in contact with a person I served with.”