Kenneth James Young Oral History

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DescriptionThis interview consists of four audio recordings and transcripts. Kenneth James Young was interviewed on 11 October 2003 at the Whitlam Library, Cabramatta by Marilyn Gallo (Oshana).
The interview was for the "War Veterans oral history project" in partnership with Fairfield RSL.Interview SummaryKenneth James Young was born in 1940 in the Queensland town of Gympie. His father had been at the notorious Changi Prisoner of War Camp in Singapore and died as a result of the shocking treatment he received there.

Ken’s mother remarried in 1949 and life was not happy for Ken. He was placed in a Legacy Home and remained there for about 7 years. It was through Legacy that he met his wife who was also a Legatee.

Ken joined the army in 1956. He had been in the Cadet Corps at school and the thought of army life attracted him. He did his training at Balcombe in Victoria and that was initially in fitting and turning, then bricklaying and then he transferred to the supervisory side.

Ken’s experiences in the Army were wide and varied. He served in Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia and Malaysia. His term in Malaysia enabled him to learn their language which was of great assistance. In 1967 he was sent to Vietnam and then back to Darwin where he ran an engineering workshop. He then returned to New Guinea and saw the Kokoda Track.

Ken left New Guinea in 1971 and was sent to Puckapunyal as construction supervisor which he said was great for family life. He remained there for 6 years. From there he was at Sydney’s Victoria Barracks doing repair and maintenance. He resigned from the army in 1979 and accepted a position with Fairfield City Council as engineering superintendent. There he remained for another 22 years and retired in 2001.

Ken’s interview is full of interesting stories of army life and gives great understanding of how those in the forces lived and worked.

Details

IntervieweeKenneth James YoungInterviewerMarilyn GalloDate of interview11/10/2003DurationTotal interview 01:58:10Transcripts availableYesRightsFairfield City CouncilAccess ConditionsAccess open for research, written permission required for personal copies and public use

Connections

Oral History ProjectThe Way We Were - People of FairfieldLocal War VeteransCollectionAll Oral HistoriesMilitary Collection

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