25 years of service for trucky awarded

By Maj Colin Bailey

A FORMER member of RACT has been officially recognised as a long-serving member of the corps in a ceremony at Canungra on April 3.

A recent letter to the editor of Army highlighted the lack of recognition for LCpl Ron Barnett when he discharged from the Army in October 2000 after 25 years of service.

Head of Corps RACT Brig Cris Anstey presented LCpl Barnett with an RACT Certificate of Recognition at the ceremony.

Brig Anstey said the RACT Corps Committee recognised in 1987 that long-term members of the corps received no recognition for their services on retirement.

“A Corps Policy Statement was written to address this issue,” he said.

“It is ironic this situation arose at all when you consider the intent behind the policy,” he said.

“With the demise of the Corps Directorates in 1997 and the reduced staffing of the current Head of Corps Executive, many of the personnel information linkages no longer exist.

“Enactment of the Corps policy now relies upon units providing timely advice to the Executive so that members’ long service in the RACT can be duly recognised.”

LCpl Barnett enlisted on June 24, 1975, and postings included Canungra Tpt Unit, DSU Adelaide, Singleton Tpt Unit, 1RTB, 3 Trg Gp, RMC, Canberra Area Medical Unit, ADFA and DCS Canungra.

Following discharge, he has settled with his family at Beaudesert.

n Units who have RACT personnel that are approaching 20 years service should contact the Corps RSM, WO1 Ken Golden at HQ TC-A, or SO2 Corps Maj Colin Bailey at HQ Dist Div, ALTC.