“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to have served my country.”
– Peter (Wilfred Cecil) Smith
Peter (Wilfred Cecil) Smith
Kamilaroi Man
Warrant Officer Class Two
2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
Royal Australian Infantry Corps
Australian Army Training Team Vietnam AATTV
Australian Army Aviation Corps
Australian Army
Medals
Australian Active Service Medal 1945-75 with clasps Malaya and Vietnam
General Service Medal 1918-62 with clasp Malaya
Vietnam Medal
Defence Force Service Medal (23 years)
National Medal
Australian Defence Medal
Anniversary of National Service 1951-1972 Medal
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Infantry Combat Badge
“I was born in Murrurundi on 5 February 1934 to Thomas Stanley Smith, from Liverpool, England, and Charlotte Mary Russell, an Indigenous woman from Mogil Mogil. I was the youngest of nine children, with six brothers and two sisters. My early years were filled with school, rugby, squash, tennis, and mountain climbing. One of my favourite hikes was the “Eye of the Needle” mountain” in Murrurundi, which I last climbed in 2012 with family. As a teenager, I attended boarding school, where I initially struggled but eventually settled into. At 16, I left home and worked as a rabbit hunter in the Snowy Mountains, living off the rabbits I caught and using their skins for warmth. I then joined the Army Citizens Military Forces (CMF), in Melbourne. In 1954, I transitioned to the Regular Army, following in the footsteps of two older brothers who had served in WWI and WWII.
In 1955, I married Valma Jean Heap, and we welcomed our first child, later that year. Three more children followed, all born in Scone, I only missed one of their births. From Kapooka I was deployed to Malaysia with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in 1956. We moved to Ipswich in 1961, where I served at the Amberley Army Base and where my nine children loved watching the planes and playing in the pool. During this time, I pursued acting at the local theatre, which eventually led to a small role in the film Goldstone nearly 40 years later.
In 1966 I deployed to Vietnam with the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV), serving in various roles and locations firstly with the ‘Winning Hearts and Minds Team’ based in Hoa Long and then Duc Thanh before being transferred to the United States 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces Airborne based in Nah Trang and operating out towards the Lao and Cambodian border. My training included jumping out of planes as I was sent on solo missions into villages never knowing what was ahead, to learning to fly a helicopter straight and land it at night. Returning to Australia, I joined the Army Aviation Corps, serving as Squadron Sergeant Major and Operations Warrant Officer at the 1st Aviation Regiment in Oakey, Queensland. During this time I learnt to fly a Kiowa helicopter ‘straight and level’ and land during the day and night. I was not required to take off as it was explained that one would not normally take off without a pilot but we may be required to return to base and land without the pilot. I retired in 1978 as a Warrant Officer Class 2 after a fulfilling career.
After leaving the Army, I joined the Aboriginal Ranger Service, travelling throughout Queensland to locate, record, and protect sacred sites. This work took me to places like Weipa, Cape York, Bamaga, and Woorabinda, where I met my mother’s sister for the first time. In 1980, I became involved with the Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (AICC), where I was ordained and performed many holy ceremonies. In 1986, I welcomed Pope John Paul II to Alice Springs and later participated in events with Pope Benedict.”
– Peter (Wilfred Cecil) Smith