"The irony and tragedy of their situation is captured in Ellis' portrait of two young sailors ... smiling for Rennie's camera, offering the ubiquitous peace sign, they could be any two young men out looking for adventure, but their hippie headbands and beads sit uncomfortably with their uniforms. The passage of time has added an extra sense of poignancy to this picture of youth, as we are now acutely aware of the tragedy of jungle warfare and the heartache experienced by so many of these soldiers when they returned home."

Susan van Wyk No standing only dancing - Photographs by Rennie Ellis 2009 pg 20