Victorians at War - Oral History Project

Personal Stories
Colin Bannister (Army - Malaya & Vietnam)
Colin Bannister (Army - Malaya & Vietnam) Colin grew up in Sydney, New South Wales, and after school took several different jobs before joining the army. He was trained at the Royal Military College in Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory, and graduated as a lieutenant in December 1955. He was an officer in the National Service Training Scheme before the army transferred him to the 3 Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) in January 1957. In October 1957 he was sent on his first stint of active service in Malaya. Colin served in Malaya for two years during which time he was promoted to the rank of Captain. After returning to Australia in 1959, Colin was then sent to South Vietnam as a military adviser to the South Vietnamese in May 1964 with the rank of Major. He returned to Australia in April 1965 before being sent back to Vietnam in September 1969 and deployed at Head Quarters Task Force in Saigon. After another tour of duty, Colin returned to Australia and became Chief Instructor at Officer Training Corps in Portsea, Victoria. He was promoted to the rank of Lt Colonel in June 1972 and discharged from the army February 1974.	Listen to interview (approx. 1 hour) Read Transcript

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Victorians at War - Oral History Project