Reuben Chadburn discusses his service in the army, including his time based in Malaya during Konfrantasi. Reuben explains how he joined up to see new places and have new experiences – he spent six years in the army and describes it as one of the best times of his life, but he also talks about the difficulties of returning home and adjusting back to civilian life.

This interview took place on 23 April 2015 in Tweed Heads and was conducted by Dr Allison Cadzow with Craig Greene as part of the Australian Research Council-funded research project Serving our Country: a history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the defence of Australia. Claude McDermott and Jackie McDonald were also present at this interview.

The interview recording above is made available to be viewed here by permission of the interviewee(s), Reuben Chadburn. The recording may not be copied, reproduced or communicated in whole or in part without the prior permission of the interviewee(s). Requests for permission for use of this material should be made to the Serving our Country research project: our contact details.

• Return to Reuben Chadburn’s participant page.