Tredrea, Mr J.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:58): Today, I would like to talk about one of our veterans who passed away last Tuesday 17 July and is survived by his daughter, Lynette, and her family. I am, of course, speaking about one of South Australia's most decorated veterans, Jack Tredrea, who leaves an extraordinary legacy.

A member of the secret Australian military unit known as Z Special Unit, Jack and his comrades were the pioneers of what we know today as the Special Air Services (SAS). Based in Darwin, the Z Unit conducted more than 80 operations into enemy territory during World War II, but they were sworn to secrecy and their bravery was finally recognised in 2016 by the Australian War Memorial. South Australia's Jack Tredrea was given the honour of unveiling a plaque at the memorial when he was 96. His memories of the war remained very clear. On the occasion of the unveiling, he told ABC television how he was deployed as part of the stealth operation Semut in Malaysian Borneo, parachuting into the jungle with weapons and cyanide pills. He said:

We didn't know whether the Japanese had arrived up in the highlands, we were just jumping in blind.

He goes on to say:

But luckily they hadn't got into the highlands and we were welcomed that day by the villagers.

Semut consisted of Semut 1, 2, 3 and 4, and each one had eight personnel…at the end of the war, we [had made] over 2,900 kills and taken over 300 prisoners.

He said that the memorial plaque and the public recognition meant a lot to him and other surviving veterans and their families. He goes on to say:

For all these years no-one knew anything about Z which I think was a great pity because even the SAS today tell us that they are still working on what we started.

Senior historian at the memorial, Dr Karl James, told the memorial's online tribute to Z Unit that its members conducted some of the most courageous and extraordinary acts of World War II. He said:

The members of Z Special Unit are amongst the bravest of the brave. It is only given the passage of time say from the 1980s onwards, the wartime records relating to Z Special Unit have been cleared and opened, that we are now able to talk about some of these pretty remarkable exploits.

What we now know about Z Force is that as well as working behind the enemy to frustrate and delay the Japanese advance, they also had a very personal mission to find 2,500 Australians. These were the men who had been captured at the Battle of Singapore in February 1942 and were marched to prisoner of war camps in Sandakan, North Borneo. The Sandakan Death Marches were the single worst atrocity suffered by Australian servicemen during the Second World War. Jack Tredrea and his Z Unit were tasked with trying to find out what had happened to these Australians. History shows, however, that very few survived.

Throughout Jack's later life, he mentored many young Australian service personnel. He remained a legend in life and now in eternity. May he rest in peace. Lest we forget.