Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

A MILITARY funeral was held in Canberra on Friday, June 27 for the Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Mench.
Lieutenant Colonel Mench was killed while bushwalking with a friend in rugged country near Canungra in Queensland.
The funeral service was held at the Anzac Memorial Chapel of St. Paul, Duntroon. The Army was represented by the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Sir Donald Dunstan.
The Commander of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, Brigadier General E. Diro attended in a private capacity.
Lieutenant Colonel Mench, 37 graduated from the Royal Military College in 1964 and was awarded the Queen's Medal for graduating first in his class. Allotted to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps, he served for the
next two years with the Pacific Islands Regiment in Papua New Guinea. In 1967, he served with the 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment in South Vietnam. From 1968 to 1970 he was ADC to the then Governor-General, Sir
Paul Hasluck.
He was awarded a first class Master of Arts Degree in 1975 for a thesis on the role of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force. He was appointed Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment in January
1980. - ^{Defence force journal 23 1980 Jul_Aug - Department of Defence}