Tweed Daily News'130-year: Vietnam evacuation delayed
A GIANT US Air Force C5A Galaxy transport crashed in flames while attempting to take off from Saigon on April 4th, 1975.
On board were 296 people including 243 Vietnamese orphans. It was estimated at the time of the accident that 100 children and 15 adults survived.
Later that night a Qantas 747 jet left Sydney for Bangkok to evacuate more than 200 children and 30 Australian diplomats' wives from Saigon to Australia.
The South Vietnam Government decided to halt "Operation Babylift" but this decision was reversed a few days later following pressure from officials of the United States, Canada and Australia - the three countries directly involved in the evacuation - was put on the Saigon Government.
Resumption of the emergency babylift allowed Vietnamese orphans to fly to the United States and other countries.
Residents throughout the Northern Rivers region of NSW rushed the Department of Youth and Community Welfare with applications to adopt Vietnamese orphans. Grafton, Lismore, Casino and Murwillumbah offices of the Department handled a steady stream of inquiries.
