GROWDEN, Graham
| Service Number: | 43781 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 5th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (5RAR) |
| Born: | Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia, 29 April 1947 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Soldier and Police Officer |
| Died: | Brain Cancer, Modbury Hospital, South Australia, 27 December 2018, aged 71 years |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Snowtown Memorial Hospital Vietnam War Honour Roll |
Vietnam War Service
| 13 Jun 1966: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Sergeant, 43781 | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 1966: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, 1st Australian Reinforcement Unit, Vietnam | |
| 18 Jun 1966: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, 43781, 5th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (5RAR) | |
| 18 Jun 1966: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Sergeant, 43781 | |
| 8 Feb 1969: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Sergeant, 43781, 5th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (5RAR) | |
| 8 Feb 1969: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Sergeant, 43781 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement |
Graham Growden; Soldier, Police Officer
I received the news this morning that I had been expecting but dreading none the less, from mutual friend Dennis 'Tex' Ranger.
Graham Growden had gone down fighting, succumbing to an illness that had taken a heavy toll of him for the past 12 months.
Graham was a Captain in the Army Reserve when I first met him in 1985, when we were both serving with the 10th Battalion Royal South Australia Regiment. We became good friends and we shared an interest in shooting. The 10th Battalion had an excellent shooting team with some pretty significant providence dating back to the 1900s.
We invested a lot of time in it and we we enjoyed success in consecutive Australian Army Skill at Arms Meetings.
Graham was an excellent shot - he did it for a living as a Senior Sergeant in the South Australian Police Force's 'Special Tactics and Rescue' (STAR) division where he trained the unit's snipers.
Graham, Sergeant Wayne Birch and I were the winning Simpson Trophy Team in 1986. That photo always reminds me of great times with some excellent people and Graham was one of them.
He'll be sadly missed by a wide circle of friends and colleagues who held him in the highest regard.
Steve Larkins
27 December 2018
Submitted 27 December 2018 by Steve Larkins
Biography contributed by Robert Kearney
Smiley initially deployed to 1 ARU Vietnam, in June 1966, before joining 5 RAR on 18 June 1966. He served with 5 Section 4 Platoon B Company for the balance of the Battalion’s 1966-67 Tour. He returned with the Battalion for its 1969-70 Tour, again serving with B Company CHQ as a Corporal in Support Section. Later in the tour he was promoted to Platoon Sergeant of 4 Platoon and returned to Australia with the Battalion.
Smiley was a well respected soldier who went on to reach the rank of Major in the Reserves. In later life he served in the South Australian Police.
Courtesy of Garry Townsend
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