HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-10-14 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

OPIE, MAJOR L.M.

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:38): I will read some extracts from the funeral eulogy of Leonard Murray Opie, retired major, DCM, ED. Leonard Murray Opie was born in Snowtown South Australia on 23 December 1923. Len's first taste of the army began with school cadets at St Peters College in 1938. The military record for Private Opie states that he enlisted at Woodside South Australia on 6 January 1942 and went to New Guinea. In September 1943, Len's overseas service commenced on TS Duntroon to Port Moresby.

His service continued from Port Moresby to Nabzab to Markham and Ramu Valleys, Kaiapit, Palliarer's Hill and Dumpu. In 1945, by then promoted to corporal, Len travelled by troopship to Morotai, then Balikpapan. Len learnt Japanese guarding Japanese prisoners of war. Just how he became an interpreter at Macassa for the Japanese war trials is still a mystery, but Len was employed that way until the war trials finished in August 1945.

Len's first real peacetime work commenced with the Adelaide Steamship Company in Port Adelaide. Corporal Opie then re-enlisted and arrived in Korea on 28 September 1950 with the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment. During the night of 27 February 1951 (as the Attorney indicated), Len was part of an assault where his unselfish devotion to duty, initiative and a great courage resulted in his being awarded the distinguished conduct medal. Corporal Temporary Warrant Officer Opie returned to Australia on 19 October 1951. He then returned to Korea with 3 RAR in November 1952 and served there until 3 June 1953. Len served a total of 598 days in Korea. On 24 March 1954, at Government House, Adelaide, Her Majesty the Queen presented Len with his DCM. Len thought that that being presented by the Queen was a bit of all right.

He joined the CMF and, on 14 October 1958, Len was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 43/48 Battalion Royal South Australian Regiment. On 15 September 1964, Len was promoted to captain. The Vietnam War gave Captain Opie another chance to display his military skills and, in May 1966, Len was posted to the Australian Army Training Team, Vietnam. Initially Len served with the CSD (CIA), until September 1967, when he returned to Australia. Following discussion with the Infantry Directorate in December 1968 whilst still in Vietnam, Len was directed to take some time away from the war. Len was not happy about this but was able to reach a compromise when he returned, on 15 October 1968, to Australia.

Less than two weeks later, on 28 October 1968, he was posted to the United Nations Military Observer Group India and Pakistan where he served in Kashmir as a military observer. Following 12 months in Kashmir, Len returned to Australia, took some leave owing to him and was then posted to the Jungle Training Centre at Canungra as an instructor. This stint was short lived, with Len being posted back to Vietnam in April 1970 (again at his own request). Captain Opie's service in Vietnam concluded in late 1971. He had spent 41 months on active service in that country.

One of Len's quirks was his insistence in wearing the infantry corps hat badge. Len was fully entitled to wear the regimental 'Skippy' badge, but he claimed that the RAR units that he served in were Regular Army units and that he never served in the Regular Army (always AIF or CMF, most of the time on full-time duty). The dress of the day for daytime was jungle greens, with peak caps for officers and warrant officers. The night-time dress was polyesters with ribbon bar. Len had a very dry and highly tuned sense of humour.

Many of the other instructors during Len's time there used to keep a close eye on the students. It was obvious to the instructors that the students would look at this relatively ancient infantry officer, Len, who to their mind must have been in the army for 100 years or more and had never served in the Royal Australian Regiment. Crunch time came during the first night lecture when the students saw Len in his polys with three and a half rows of ribbons topped by a DCM. It stunned me when I saw it as well. Students' jaws would drop and from there on there was a distinct change of attitude towards this venerable soldier.

Captain Opie's CMF full-time duty service was terminated on his 50th birthday, on 23 December 1973. However, Len continued to served in the CMF. On 24 December 1973, he was posted to 10 RSAR. Then on 31 December 1974 Len was promoted to major. On 1 January 1975, he was posted to CSTU (4MD) as an instructor. On 23 December 1975, Major Len Opie was transferred to retired list (4MD).

The Attorney-General eloquently portrayed a great part of Len Opie's life. I join with the Attorney in that. I had the pleasure of knowing Len, having met him several times. He was an amazing man who was quiet and unassuming, as indicated. He had 19 medals and was entitled to wear another three. More of a gentleman you could not find and he is a sad loss to Australia.

Time expired.

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:43): I add to the earlier comments and pay tribute too to the life of Leonard Murray Opie, DCM RFD ED BS(US) AM(US) CG(VN). Len (as he was known to his family and friends) passed away on 22 September 2008 from leukaemia at the age of 84 after a life of service to his country. Born in Snowtown in 1923, he was educated at St Peter's College, became an army cadet in 1938 and served as a senior cadet in 1941. Len was special in many ways; one being that he always served as a volunteer and was never part of the Regular Army. Len was an unusual soldier and said of himself that he was never actually in the Army, but never out of it. This referred to his periods of time in uniform overseas. He did serve with the CMF Army Reserve, but his habit was that he would come into the Army full time when there was a war to fight or an enemy identified by various Australian governments.

He served with distinction in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars and was a UN observer in Kashmir. His active service began on 6 January 1941 when he enlisted at Woodside as a private and, after training, became a rifleman in the 2/14 AIF. He was deployed to Papua New Guinea between 1943 and 1944. Later he was an interpreter for the Australian War Crimes Investigation in 1946. It was not long before Len was again active, enlisting with KForce Adelaide on 8 August 1950 and moving through the 2nd RAR at Puckapunyal and then onto the 3 RAR to the Korean War.

Often called the 'forgotten war', Len served 598 days in that conflict, which encompassed great acts of enormous bravery and courage. In the words of another man I admire greatly, Moose Dunlop, Len was a true warrior—never afraid of death. His values were his mates and his unit. He was a quiet man of slight stature, however, his heart was enormous and his courage unbounded. He could not stand posers, nor did he tolerate fools, and hardly ever held his counsel when he believed the truth was not being aired. Len played a pivotal role in the capture of Hill 614 in 1951, and at Kapyong.

He was awarded the DCM, and many suggest that it could have and should have been upgraded to a VC. He was discharged in August 1953. He enlisted again in February 1954 in the CMF and was commissioned in 1958. He was promoted to captain in 1964. His Vietnam service commenced in May 1966 with the Army Training Team. There are many stories of this period, one being that Len was so efficient and such a good soldier that he was like a machine. He sharpened his trenching tool on only one side, and that was not for a shave. Len kept many diaries of his three major conflicts, which are now held by his long-time friend, WO2 Vic Pennington, who gave a wonderful eulogy at the funeral service.

There was one story in particular about Len racing to save a patrol of Regional Force South Vietnamese solders who were with Vic. This effort alone was without regard for his own life—when it came to his mates and responsibility to them there was no other course. Len received many honours and awards during this period. In December 1974 he was promoted to Major and began a period with the CMF Army Reserve receiving his ED and a National Medal with First Clasp in February 2001.

I first met Len not long after entering parliament in 1997. I always found him quite polite and a gentleman. Although many thought that Len had no time for women, he was obviously a well-rounded individual, influenced, no doubt, by his much-loved family: his sisters, Molly and Pat, now sadly both deceased; and Sal, Butchie, Jilly and their families.

Many hundreds attended the funeral at the Heysen Chapel—full to overflowing for a service held with military honours. Brigadier Laurie Lewis spoke, describing Len as a thoughtful man who always strove to do the right thing. VC recipient Keith Payne also attended and said that the Australian military fraternity had lost one of its greatest men; that Len was a solider above soldiers. The amount of training Len put into keeping other people alive and the example he set for the younger generation of soldiers was outstanding. In April this year he was the guest of honour at the Last Hurrah, an Adelaide gathering of Korean veterans. I understand that, shortly before his death, he was in Darwin speaking to the troops shortly before embarkation to Afghanistan.

My contribution today cannot do justice to this wonderful soldier, and I concur entirely with the remarks of the Attorney-General and the member for Finniss. Len will be missed and we will remember him.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT