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War Memorial
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HASLAU Peter

MB BS FRACGP

1938-

Peter Haslau was born in Freistadt, Danzig (now Gdansk) Poland on 20th November 1938. He was the only child of Hermann and Gertrude Haslau. His father, a teacher and a soldier in the German army, had been gassed in WW1. Consequently he suffered from what we now recognize as post-traumatic stress disorder. The family left Danzig at the end of WW2 walking west and arriving in Frankfurt am Mein in 1948. His parents separated, in 1950, because of his father’s illness; with the assistance from the International Refugee Organization they obtained passage to Australia, arriving in Newcastle in May 1950. He remained in occasional contact with his father, who visited him later in his life when he was in Singapore, and also on two occasions when he was in Horsham, Victoria. Haslau’s education was in Brisbane and later at Christian Brothers College, Adelaide where he joined the school cadets and rose to the rank of cadet under officer. His mother worked in the doctor’s dining room at Glenside Hospital. Haslau was in the last compulsory intake (1951 – 1960) of National Servicemen, and served for eleven weeks as a gunner in the RAA at Woodside Army Camp in January 1958. He studied medicine with the Australian Army undergraduate scheme, at the University of Adelaide, and graduated MB BS in 1963. He completed his resident medical officer year at the RAH in 1964. He married Rosslyn Wakefield, a nurse, on 15th December 1962. They were to have four sons; Anthony, Richard, Nicholas and Alexander.

Eight weeks from January 1965, were spent at the Army School of Health in Healesville, Victoria where he concentrated on tropical health and hygiene and some golf at the adjacent golf course before being posted to 5 RAR, a new unit, as an RMO. Holsworthy Army Barracks, near Sydney, was the home of 1 Bn RAR, who were preparing for overseas service, and 5 RAR. Captain John Campbell, also from Adelaide, was RMO to 1 RAR, and was repatriated from Vietnam, in June 1965, and Haslau was sent to replace him. He recalls flying, in civilian clothes, from Adelaide to Manila, where he boarded a Pan Am flight to Saigon where he was to change into his uniform before disembarking. His changing in the lavatory and emerging with a 9mm Browning sidearm caused no alarm! He was escorted from Saigon to 1 Bn RAR at Bien Hoa, this was a battalion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and their duty was to protect the very busy airbase. The RAP comprised a tent, with a mud floor, and very basic furniture; the medical equipment came in a large wicker basket of WW2 vintage. The daily sick parade consisted of treating skin problems and minor, non-combat injuries. Serious injuries, whilst on patrol were picked up by ‘Dust Off’ American helicopter ambulances and transported to American casualty centres. Some 5 months later the RAP and kitchens were relocated into galvanized iron huts with concrete slab floors. The commencement of rest and recreation leave presented new challenges to the RAP; a microscope was a valuable asset. Patrols had befriended a village and ‘medical clinics’ became part of the ‘hearts and minds’ exercise.

The Bn completed its tour of duty, in June 1966, after securing Nui Dat and Phoc Tuy for the incoming Australian Brigade elements. Haslau had brief leave in Adelaide before being posted to the Commonwealth Brigade, Terendak (near Malacca), Malaysia. Haslau worked with the British medical officer at the Family Medical Centre caring for the wives and children of the British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers involved with the Malaysian Confrontation in Borneo. He was posted, as trainee anaesthetist, to the British Medical Hospital, Singapore, for 12 months until December 1968. He was promoted to Major and within 6 weeks was on a regular roster for anaesthesia.  Volunteering, he provided anaesthetics for the surgeon at the Gurkha Recruiting Facility in Nepal who dealt with obstructed labours and compound fractures in the local hillside population. Haslau was issued with the Australian Active Service Medal (1945-75) Clasp “VIETNAM”, Australian Vietnam Medal, Australian Service Medal (1945-75) Clasp “SE ASIA”, Australian Defence Medal, Anniversary of National Service Medal (1951-1972) and  the Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Haslau returned to Australia in 1968 and was offered the option of training in Anaesthesia at the RAH. Brigadier Gurner offered to facilitate this training, however, a further seven years in the RAAMC did not appeal, so, in 1969, he accepted a position in a multidisciplinary clinic in Horsham, Victoria, as a GP anaesthetist. He obtained the FRACGP in 1978 and became a visiting medical officer at the Wimmera Base Hospital where he was also active on the Board of Management for many years. Haslau became the honorary medial officer for 16th Troop Royal Australian Army Corps of Transport, based in Horsham, providing, until 1989, periodic and recruit medicals. He partially retired in December 2003 and worked part time until 2015. He now enjoys frequent overseas holidays with Ros, snow skiing in Colorado, golf twice a week at the Horsham Golf Club and spending time with the families of their sons.

Source

Blood, Sweat and Fears II: Medical Practitioners of South Australia on Active Service After World War 2 to Vietnam 1945-197.

Summers, Swain, Jelly, Verco

Uploaded by Annette Summers AO RFD