A top Ossie

Volume 11, No. 56, November 16, 2006
By Cpl Andrew Hetherington

Proud: Mrs Shirley Ostara presents her husband’s medals to retired Col Graham Fleeton (above). Photo by Bill Cunneen

Leader: WO1 Ernest Ostara with Vietnamese soldiers (left).

THE medals of a highly decorated Australian soldier who served in three conflicts have been donated by his wife to the Army Museum at Victoria Barracks, Sydney.

WO1 Ernest ‘Ossie’ Ostara saw active service between 1943 and 1946 with the 2/6 Australian Commando Sqn and in 1953 he served with 1RAR in Korea.

WO1 Ostara served three extended tours in Vietnam between 1963 and 1969. His role was as a senior adviser with the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam, commanding and organising a Province Reconnaissance Unit. According to former 1 Cdo Coy colleague Lt Kevin Mahony (retd), WO1 Ostara was a soldiers’ soldier.

“He was a most efficient and capable soldier and was admired by everyone,” Lt Mahoney said.

“I don’t think he had a fear in his body. He would try and do anything. I think this is one of the reasons why he was so successful when he was in Vietnam.”

WO1 Ostara was fluent in Vietnamese, which Lt Mahony said gave him a great advantage when dealing with the soldiers under his command.

“He could converse directly with his men. I think this was one of the reasons the soldiers he was training admired him so much,” he said.

“It is one of the reasons why they followed him, particularly for the instance in the action after which he was awarded the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross.

“If you read the details of that, it was Ossie who actually took off after the Vietnamese after they had retreated into a re-entrant. He attacked and killed two of them and the rest of his soldiers followed him.”

Lt Mahony said he admired the way in which WO1 Ostara treated his men in Vietnam.

“It is obvious from photographs taken of him with them that they were good friends,” he said.

WO1 Ostara retired from the Army in 1978 as the RSM of Field Force Command after 35 years in the Army. He then ran a florist shop in Bondi Junction Sydney. His list of awards and medals is long and impressive.

WO1 Ostara died on September 29.