We were at Canungra for our J training sometime in 2000. We were out in the J and I was placed on sentry duty. The 2IC took me approx 50 m out of the harbour and found a spot next to a log to sit on, then he […]

My mate we’ll refer to as “’Digger”’ was going through his morning routine and had done his cleaning etc and was doing the final function test (f 88). All was good and well except for two things…
1. He pu […]

On RTF 3, I was the platoon commander’s bushie driver. Our platoon commander was a Yank, who used to be a US Navy EOD (I think he had an Iraq tour as EOD) but he came over here and joined our Army. So we were o […]

K83, two of us were deployed with a bunch of Yank Green Berets to recon, then we were to raid Learmonth Airbase at Exmouth. We bent a Rover in half and had to leave it and others behind. After the raid I was […]

On exercise in ’84 up at Northam we were doing training ex. When on TAG we had a bunch of ASIO technical support personnel with us. We snipers were giving them approach training. Boy, did they need it! Smart p […]

In 1987 there was a song on the radio (4TO for those that remember) about Star Trek… “there’s Klingons on the starboard bow…” For those who recall the song, it’s important to the story.
Anyway, in May 198 […]

I was fresh out of Singo and was posted to 1 RAR. The battalion was on ex and we were trucked up to high range to join them. I was sent over to my new platoon and out to my section. They had been out there for a […]

There was a linger in D Coy 6 RAR. I never knew his background but I think he was just in from Singo and always broke. Anyway, Delta had a two-week ex at Shoalwater and the linger got a chit from the RAP for the […]

When I first joined up, I was with Artillery for two years before doing five years with grunts. I was going through IETs and a big, tall Aboriginal mate of mine – about seven feet – (couldn’t miss him) was on t […]

In 1987 we had formal guard mount on Saturday morning at 5/7. I’d decided to go out Friday night for a little socialising and thought I would finish off my ironing and polishing when I got back. I arrived back a […]

C Company was sent to Tully as enemy party for B and D Companies for jungle training. One weekend we were given leave so we all jumped on a bus and headed to Townsville. However, we were informed it was a dry […]

We’d just got knocked for the day and my mates and I were marching back to the lines, when as I passed the 5/7 guard room, I heard a voice yell out, “Why are you looking at the ground?”
Without think […]

Overseas, drinking and nearly in jail – Eric Algra reminded me of one night in Singapore. We were on RCB tour, Dec ’86 – Mar ’87. When we were down Pulada way, we had several days off at Singapore on the piss […]

Early in 1993 in 3 RAR, Charlie Company did a full-on “unarmed combat course” at Gan Gan near Nelson Bay.
Funny, on our course of just grunts, some female transport soldiers were at Gan Gan doing their own […]

Still at Shoalwater – PL harbour this time. One of our section got a case of the night terrors. He was sleeping just behind the gun pit when at 3 am he stood up in his bivi bag and started screaming, “FUCK – g […]

My final posting was to the then DSU at Western Street, Rockhampton as the Tpt Spv. Half a dozen Yanks were waiting at the gate for a taxi and were asking me about SWBTA. I was asked if there were any animals to […]

… 1965… Bien Hoa, South Vietnam. We’d just finished an op, showered, cleaned up weapons and re-supped etc, before half a dozen or so of us went over to the 173rd Airborne for a visit and to drink their l […]

At SWBTA, we had the Yanks with us at Raspberry Creek. Bill McCutchen had a battery razor that had a lead attached. Bill taped a plug to this tree, then plugged the razor in, started it and started to shave. We […]

We were posted to 10 IRC Military Training Wing Training Support platoon: 1988 Sub 1 Cpl CSE RMC Duntroon. While on the piss at the Private Bin, I (ex 2/4 RAR at the time) and ET (Etienne Ryckmans ex 5/7 RAR) […]

One of my corporals, Vic Burgess, was running down a hill at Shoalwater Bay one morning during a battalion attack. He grabbed hold of a small tree and out of the hundreds of thousands of trees, this bastard had […]