Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Dad was born on the 7th November 1933 in Innisfail QLD and passed a way after a very fulfilling life on 20th January 2014 in Malanda QLD.

Dad's first experience with the Service was as a School Cadet at St Augustine's College in Cairns in 1948. He enlisted in the RAAF in November 1951 and served six years as an Instrument Fitter before taking his discharge in November 1957.

Dad again enlisted in the Service in October 1967 (10 years after his RAAF experience), this time with the CMF's 51 RQR in Cairns. He then transferred to the ARA in August 1968 (under AMR176(1)(e)).

Despite his previous service, Dad had to complete Recruit Training at Kapooka before being Corps allocated to RAEME in September 1968. Following completion of a Clerk Technical Course at the RAEME Training Centre (RTC), he was posted to 18 Field Workshop in Townsville in January 1969. He was then deployed to South Vietnam in November 1969 with 106 Field Workshop and returned to Townsville to 301 Field Workshop in November 1970. He changed trade to Clerk Administrative whilst at 301 Field Workshop.

In July 1972 Dad was posted to 101 Field Workshop at Ingleburn NSW as a Sergeant Clerk Admin, but transferred back to Clerk Technical while there. In June 1976 he was posted to RTC as an Assistant Instructor WO2 where remained until being posted to 3 Army Recruiting Unit Detachment in Albury in September 1980 as an Assistant Admin where he saw his career out. Dad was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal (Vietnam, the Vietnam Logistic Support Medal, Defence Force Service Medal, Australian Defence Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Dad was in a nursing home for the last few years in Malanda QLD, but his health deteriorated while there. He had suffered over the years from prostate cancer, which he beat; heart disease, had a pacemaker and had to hip replacements. He died peacefully at the end from a heart attack.