“I never considered military service a ‘job’. To me, it was a calling and a way of honouring my maternal grandfather, who served in the Army in World War I and World War II, his eldest son Uncle Athol who served in New Guinea, two paternal uncles who served in the RAN in World War II and a paternal aunt who served in the WRAAF in World War II.”
– Drew Dale
Drew Dale
Proud Dunghutti man, born and raised on Palawa Country; Lutruwita (Tasmania), with kinship ties to the Gamilaroi nation
Sergeant
Royal Australian Air Force 1973 – 1982
Lieutenant
Ordnance Officer
Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps
Australian Army 2005 – 2012
Medals
Australian Active Service Medal with clasp East Timor
Australian Service Medal with clasp Irian Jaya
Defence Long Service Medal
Australian Defence Medal
“At 17 years of age, I enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), eventually completing tours of duty in Timor and Irian Jaya, and a posting to RAAF Support Unit Tengah (RAAFSUTG) in Singapore. At the time, of my enlistment, during the early 1970s, Aboriginal people suffered open discrimination, racial vilification, and other forms of abuse. With this framework in mind, I was ‘forced’ by my family to hide my Aboriginal ancestry. The family had always been very strict about not discussing Aboriginal heritage, they considered it too shameful. This is a decision that I have always regretted.
In November 1975 I deployed to Timor to assist with the repatriation of Australian Nationals caught up in the fighting that culminated in the murders of the Balibo Five, Australian and New Zealand journalists reporting on events in Indonesia’s invasion of Timor, the previous month. In April 1977, I was deployed to Irian Jaya on Operasi Pemetan Cenderawasi, providing cargo handling, aircraft weight and balance calculation, and aircraft ground handling until July 1977 when I returned to Australia. I have served in both the RAAF and Army, so my career, although comprising only 15 years full-time and two years part-time, has spanned 50 years.”
– Drew Dale
