ORDER OF AUSTRALIA MEDAL

BRUCE MILLER (CLASS OF 1963)

The academic life was not for me so at the completion of year five in 1962 I left school and commenced work at the Reserve Bank. In 1966 I entered the Army via the National Service scheme which saw me being selected for officer training which I completed in September 1966. I really enjoyed Army life so I applied to stay in the Army after the completion of my two-year commitment.

In 1971 I went to South Vietnam for 12 months and on return I was promoted to Captain and posted back to Sydney where I stayed for the next three years. This was followed by postings to Albury/Wodonga and Brisbane. In 1980 I was seconded to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force for two years. Then back to Queenscliff in Victoria for 12 months high level defence training. A posting to Canberra followed disrupted by a nine months training course in the USA, then back to Canberra for three years prior to retiring.

My second career commenced when I took up roles in mining and construction and spent time in Papua New Guinea, Africa, Ghana, Mali, South Africa and Tanzania. Back to Australia to Mount Isa, Gladstone and Weipa then to Laos for a while. Finally, I took up a 12 months contract in the Philippines prior to retiring. 

After retiring from the Army, I followed my interest in assisting veterans in their fight to get back into employment and get their injuries both mental and physical recognised by government. Since my retirement I have been involved in the support of veterans and ensuring their plight is brought to the attention of the public and government. This work culminated in being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in June 2020.

I have had an enjoyable and busy life and when I look back on how it all began, I can see that the grounding I received at McKinnon High School started me on a path I have never regretted.

Bruce Miller

Class of 1963