Fred Leftwich discusses his father’s 20 years of service in the army, and the effect that this had on family life. Fred’s father suffered from PTSD and alcoholism, he functioned normally in the community and was held in great respect but at home was a hard man with many issues. Fred sees his fathers service as a double edged sword, the family was protected from the racist policies of the government because of it, and got to travel and have decent housing, but it brought with the PTSD, alcoholism and related issues. Fred explains how this impacted his life and his siblings and mother. Fred joined the Army Reserve himself in the early 1980s and shares his experiences with racism, training and the opportunities this service afforded him.

• Watch Fred’s interview at the Canberra Yarn Up;
• Return to the Canberra Yarn Up page.