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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-07-28 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

CUNDELL, CAPT. R.G.

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:05): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: On Tuesday of last week we lost a very special, indeed, a unique South Australian, Captain Roger Geoffrey Cundell. Roger Cundell was a World War II veteran—a Rat of Tobruk, no less. He died as he would have wished, with his medals on, with his service mates nearby and in the military heartland of South Australia, the Torrens Parade Ground. As was his wont, he was about to recognise fellow veterans at a memorial service when he suffered an aneurysm.

Roger was born in Hampshire in 1918 and came to Adelaide with his family in 1930. He attended St Peter's College. Roger was actually in uniform when World War II broke out—he was serving in the militia as a private soldier. He could not enlist in the AIF until the completion of his full-time militia commitment, so he was kept busy until his full-time commitment was complete. He certainly felt frustrated when working at Wayville while watching other men without the militia commitment enlisting. He said it rankled.

Roger enlisted in the 2nd/10th Battalion at Woodside in November 1939. From there he went to Ingleburn Camp, New South Wales, where he was commissioned on 1 March 1940. He was a platoon commander in A Company, 2nd/10th Battalion. His battalion embarked for England, and he served there while the Battle of Britain was fought. Based in the south of England around Salisbury, the battalion provided airfield and installation protection. Roger would recall that, during that time, the unit was visited by King George VI.

Later, the unit was deployed to Egypt, after which Roger was deployed to Tobruk as a platoon commander in B Company. It was on 5 April 1941. Australia suffered 3,000 casualties in Tobruk and 941 Australians were taken prisoner. The term 'Rats of Tobruk' was coined to describe the allied garrison besieged by Axis forces from April to November 1941. The phrase, originally intended as an insult, came to mean something else.

The 14,000 Australian soldiers garrisoned at Tobruk, Roger included, regarded it as a compliment, a real badge of courage. Roger's unit served with distinction well out of Tobruk town on the perimeter, the most important part of a defensive position. The Rats of Tobruk suffered immense privation. They were under constant enemy attack from screaming Stuka dive bombers. On the ground, they faced the might of Rommel's armour, artillery and the ground troops of the Africa Corps. The troops suffered from all the lesser-known but just as dangerous impacts of fleas, flies and disease.

The battalion handed over to the Polish Army in August 1941, hence the Polish service medal that Roger wore with pride. After deployment to Palestine and Syria, the battalion was recalled to Australia when our nation came under threat after Japan joined the war. Roger returned to South Australia in March 1942, and in August of that year he was deployed with his unit to Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, only weeks before the Japanese landing. Roger served further in the Pacific campaign at higher command level and was discharged in April 1946.

Roger's military service was, like that of many of his compatriots, tough and demanding. But like his mates, he met the challenges full on, never taking a backward step. He was a man of substance and he remained a unique example to all those who followed in uniform from those days in the 1940s right through to the present.

Roger was mentioned in dispatches during his military service. Later he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to veterans and their families and to the community through a range of service, nature conservation and heritage organisations. After the war he turned to engineering and, with Brian Magarey, Roger founded a business manufacturing animal handling equipment. He had a strong connection with the land and those who worked with it.

As you might expect, Roger marched in every ANZAC Day march since 1947. In recent years, he swore that every year would be his last. He would finish the march, retire to seating, occasionally have a swig from his hip flask and faithfully tell march organisers, 'That's it, old chap.' But he did not rest: 11 months later Roger would start training. Every Friday he would complete the march route to get himself into condition. Such was his commitment that Roger, at age 90, put himself through a double knee replacement timed precisely to have him right for the next ANZAC Day march. Twelve weeks ago Roger finished his final march to applause from those who finished with him.

During his service, following a sporting injury, Roger met his beloved wife, Peggy. They married and had four children. Roger was also a service member and past president of Adelaide Legacy. He maintained a strong link with the military and his old unit. Roger was a friend to all servicemen who followed and he had a particular soft spot for Vietnam veterans and went out of his way to befriend and assist them. He taught some of them the joys of beekeeping and another joined Roger to help him write his biography. It seems that Roger wanted to show the younger veterans that they were valued and he respected their service just as they did his.

Roger had a special affection for our Aboriginal servicemen and never missed the annual Aboriginal Commemorative Service held at our War Memorial on North Terrace. Only eight weeks ago, Roger was asked to unveil a sign recognising a memorial cairn constructed by a distinguished Aboriginal soldier of World War I, Stanford Wallace 'Tiger' Simpson, in honour of his comrades. Tiger was a member of the 10th Battalion who landed at Gallipoli on 25th April 1915. The memorial is located near American River on Kangaroo Island.

Roger, at age 93, drove to Cape Jervis and boarded the ferry to the island and drove to the memorial site. With notes written on scraps of cardboard, Roger made a splendid speech, and I am told he did not miss a beat. At the conclusion of the function, Roger simply drove home to Heathfield in the Adelaide Hills.

Mr Pengilly: Surprising everybody on the road; I was there!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Yes. Many generations came to know Roger. Every single one of them was left in no doubt of the love and affection he had for his beloved wife, Peggy. Indeed, while in hospital just before his death, her welfare was his only concern. Many members of this house, including myself, knew Roger for many, many years. He was a person who was both inspiring and a wonderful character. I want to extend the condolences of the house and the people of South Australia to Roger's family. He was a unique and special character and our state and our nation are better places because of him. Lest we forget.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

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