Ron Powell discusses his family’s history of service in both World Wars. Ron’s cousin Percy Kennedy Jr served during World War 1 in Egypt and France with the 23rd Battalion, and died of Tuberculosis in England in 1916. Ron’s great uncle Sydney Archibald Wilson served with the light horse in Egypt in World War 1, and again with the ordinance corps in New Guinea in World War 2. Ron also talks about his father, a trained pilot, who tried to join the air force to fly in World War 2 but was not accepted. Ron does not know why the air force knocked him back, but given his father’s pilot skills and training, Ron suspects race may have been the barrier to his enlistment.

This interview took place on 16 October 2014 in Newcastle and was conducted by Professor John Maynard 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.

The interview recording above is made available to be listened to here by permission of the interviewee(s), Ron Powell. 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.

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