Our People in the ACT
CPL Bill Clarke - Virtue rewarded
For 22 years Air Force storeman Corporal Bill Clarke, 48, has dreamt of serving his country on an overseas operation, and finally his time has come. "I put in an expression of interest through Air Headquarters mid last year," he said, "and then I got a phone call later in the year from an officer offering me a position in the Middle East Area of Operations.
"I couldn't believe it, I thought my time had past and deployments were all for the young blokes. I thought it would never happen."
Clarke is serving at the main Australian logistic base in the Middle East , which supports troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan . "This deployment means quite a lot to me," he said. "I strongly believe that we are doing the right thing and I'm happy to be a part of it and make my contribution. We're doing a good job over here."
Clarke is responsible for sending back to Australia a whole range of equipment, including weapons and armored vehicle parts, which cannot be repaired in theatre. Like everyone else at the base he is kept very busy. "It's been hectic," he said. "We work seven days a week, up to 14 hours a day. There are always jobs to be done and then there are the short-notice tasks. I've probably had about two days off since I arrived."
After getting over the surprise of his deployment Clarke had to break the news to his wife. "She was a bit shocked and upset when I told her I," he said, "but she knew I wanted to do this and to her credit she said "Go ahead".
Clarke has made sure the respect it mutual. "I call her every day," he said. "We celebrate 27 years of marriage in August, and I do miss her."
One topic of discussion is the extreme differences in environment. While Canberra is shivering under the cold of winter, the Middle East is baking under a blistering summer sun.
"It's damn hot here," Clarke said. "We get 47 degree dry-heat with a hot wind that burns your skin. It's not the nicest of places; there's sand everywhere and lots of nasty little black scorpions to deal with."
But there is also an upside to his desert home. "In other ways it's been okay," he said. "I've got a great crowd to work with, and I've made some good friends. When things are tough we can still sit back and have a laugh to relieve the tension."
Clarke's mind is never far from Calwell though, and he is looking forward to returning to his green homeland.
"My son's assured me he'll have beers waiting," Clarke said. "As soon as I can I'll fire up the barbie and get a big steak cooking. I'll enjoy sharing a bottle of merlot with my wife, and then I'll kick back on the lounge and watch some TV to find out what's been going on back home." Fortunately he won't have to wait 22 years to get back home. He only has a couple of months to go.