Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Gary Philip Woolford was born at Booleroo Centre 25 August 1949, eldest son of Donald Brian and Lois Claire (nee Bull) Woolford. Donald and Lois farmed Sections 139 and 143 in the Hundred of Willowie, and Section 1,8, and 27w in the Hundred of Pinda.

Gary was conscripted for 2 years National Service under the Department of Labour and National Service scheme and was part of the 20th intake of national servicemen when he enlisted in the Australian Army on the 23rd of April 1970. Between 1965 and 1972, over 63,000 men were called up for two years fulltime service integrated into regular Army units. This was reduced to 18 months in October 1971.

Gary underwent recruit training at Puckapunyal Victoria with 2 Recruit Training Battalion and at the completion of his training was allocated to the Royal Australian Army Service Corps (RAASC) where he undertook Corps Training at the RAASC Training Centre which was also located at Puckapunyal. However, most conscripts were assigned to the infantry, which allowed the Army to increase the Royal Australia Regiment to 9 Battalions.

Following his Corps training and posting to RAASC units in Australia, Gary was warned for active service in March 1971 and subsequently posted to 85 Transport Platoon RAASC on 24 March 1971 under the command of 5 Transport Company RAASC based at the 1st Australian Logistics Support Group (1ALSG) in Vung Tau, a port city in the south of South Vietnam. Gary’s posting as a driver in 85 Transport Platoon included tasks such as the resupply of the  1st Australian Task Force with daily convoys from Vung Tau to Nui Dat, tipper support to the Army Engineering Construction Squadron for the building of roads in Phouc Tuy Province South Vietnam, water supply tasks to both Nui Dat & Vung Tau bases and the insertion and extraction of equipment, fuel and ammunition from Australian fire support bases in Vietnam.

All these duties were carried out in soft shelled vehicles with little protection and many of the tasks were over dirt roads in Vietnam. The main protection was a gun jeep at the front of the convoy which was a Land Rover with a machine gun mounted on it. In some instances, the roads had been cleared by early morning choppers inspecting the safety of the roads before the 85-convoy travelled on them. At other times Gary and the other drivers were protected by Armoured Personnel Carriers driving with them in the convoys or lining the side of the road as they moved along it.

Besides these normal duties, Gary was also assigned like other soldiers on the Australian base to conduct night patrols and defend the perimeter of the Australian base in Vietnam from insurgents. 

On 18 August 1971 the Australian Government announced the phased withdrawal of troops from Vietnam resulting in the Australian base in Nui Dat being closed and some of the units transferring to 1 ALSG in Vung Tau in October 1971. As part of the Australian withdrawal 85 Transport Platoon RAASC as a unit was withdrawn from Vietnam. However, a number of the drivers from the Platoon including Gary were transferred to its sister platoon 86 Transport Platoon RAASC which was also under the command of 5 Company RAASC.

Gary’s driving duties in 86 Transport Platoon RAASC were similar to those he undertook in 85 Transport Platoon and he completed his tour of duty in Vietnam and returned to Australia on 12 November 1971.

The night before his departure from Vietnam Gary and other members of 86 Tpt Ptn held an RTA (Return to Australia) party to symbolise the end of their service in Vietnam.

He returned home and was officially discharged from the Army on 9 December 1971 having served a total of 1 year and 231 days service, with 233 days of that outside of Australia.

His discharge document lists that he had completed the prescribed period of service in the ARAS (NS). In recognition of his military service Gary was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal 1945-75 with clasp Vietnam, Vietnam Medal, the Australian Defence Medal, the Anniversary of National Service 1951-1972 Medal and the Vietnamese Campaign Medal.

Gary returned to Willowie, and in conjunction with his brother continued to farm in the Hundred of Willowie and Pinda. He married Jan (nee Stecker) in 1976, and they built a new house next to the original property at ‘Acacia’. They had three children. He farmed this property until his death on the 6th of January 2008, age 58 years, and is interred at Wilmington Cemetery, Plot 417B.

Excerpt taken from "Diggers From the Dust" (2018) Di Barrie and Andrew Barrie.