Duty First
This is Duty First, a podcast about the history of the Royal Australian Regiment (RAR). Bear witness as the regiment rises from the ashes of the Second World War to become Australia’s first ever professionalised infantry force. Told by members of the regiment who were there, enter a world where courage takes centre stage and history comes alive.
Tim Russell, Writer & Producer
Slade Gibson, Audio Producer & Composer
Paul Larter, Host
Harry Windsor, Writer
Produced by Pivot Studios for The Department of Veterans Affairs and The Royal Australian Regiment Foundation.
Duty First
Welcome to the Jungle
After the Korean War, the battalion is growing and set for a new challenge in the Malayan Emergency and the Indonesian Confrontation. Join us as we discover a period of history that would serve as a warm-up for the kind of jungle fighting the regiment would later experience in Vietnam.
Featured interviews:
- Wallace Thompson (Wally) - 4 RAR, AATTV
- BRIG George Mansford (Snow) AM (retd) - 2RAR
- LTCOL Barry Caligari - 1RAR, 3 RAR
- Brigadier David Thomson, MC - 1RAR, 4RAR
Episode cover image:
MALAYA, C1954. BATTERY CAPTAIN PETER BADCOE, 1 FIELD REGIMENT ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ARTILLERY, WHO WAS POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE VICTORIA CROSS FOR AN ACTION IN VIETNAM courtesy of AWM.
Produced by Pivot Studios for the Department of Veterans Affairs and The Royal Australian Regiment Foundation.
If you need support for PTSD or a mental health condition, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Members of the RAR can receive non urgent assistance from the RAR Foundation through battalions. Talk to your current or former battalion CO or padre for more information.
