Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Peter Rutkin was born in Gympie Queensland to Joe Rutkin, and third generation hairdresser and his wife Nell Beswick. After finishing school Peter started working in the family business in Mary Street Gympie, becoming a fourth generation hairdresser.

He was married in 1938 to Joan Steer, eldest child of Gympie Church of England Rector Rev. John Howard Steer and his wife Myra Emmeline Pickering. 

The bombing of Darwin and fall of Singapore in early 1942 were key motivators for Peter to enlist. At the time, his wife Joan was pregnant with their second child, who was then born in early March. One of the personal references Peter included in his application to join the RAAF came from the local Commonwealth Bank Manager, who stated Peter "appears very anxious to take some part in the defence of Australia."

In June 1942 Peter's initial application to enlist in the RAAF as a Radio Operator was unsuccessful. However he applied again to enlist as a Motor Transport Driver, and following aptitude testing was selected as a Trainee Technical. 

After successfully enlisting in the RAAF in 1943 Peter was sent to Ascot Vale in Melbourne and then Ultimo in Sydney where he completed trade training as a Flight Rigger. He was then transferred to RAAF Station Bundaberg Qld with No. 66 Sqn. Soon after he was transferred to the Maintenance Wing of No. 8 Service Flying Training School as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme. RAAF No. 8SFTS was also based at Bundaberg. 

In 1944 Peter was injured by a chemical spill and spent time in the Convalescent Depot at Southport before returning to his unit at Bundaberg. A few months later he was injured by chemicals again and spent over two months in the Brisbane Medical Unit. He was then sent to No. 3 Rehabilitation Unit, before being discharged from the RAAF as medically unfit for further service.

For many years after the war Peter Rutkin had flare-ups of his medical condition relating to the chemicals he worked with at RAAF Station Bundaberg. He spent significant time away from his family in Gympie recovering at places like Greenslopes Hospital in Brisbane.

Peter and his wife Joan raised four children at Gympie before retiring to Cotton Tree at Maroochydore in the early 1960s.

Peter Rutkin died in 1986 three years after his wife Joan. They are buried together at Buderim Lawn Cemetery.