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The Road Ahead Sampler : April May 2014
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FROM THE BATTLEGROUNDS OF ASIA TO SUPPORTING TRAUMATISED WAR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES, KEITH PAYNE HAS BEEN UP FOR THE FIGHT. meet a fair dinkum hero STORY BARRY GREEN I PHOTO MARK BUCHANAN 'HERO' MUST SURELY be one of the most misused words in the English language, being used extravagantly to describe sporting stars and even A-list celebrities -- sometimes to the point of cringe-worthiness. But there are those for whom the word is entirely befitting. One such person is RACQ member Keith Payne VC OAM. Coming from a family of military peerage, it was perhaps inevitable that a young Keith Payne should also forge an Army career. "My grandfather came from Herbert River Valley and was a wheelwright in the Army in World War I," Keith said. "Being gassed (the enemy used chemical weapons in the European theatre of war) didn't improve his health. "He fathered a son and daughter -- the son was my father. (When World War II broke out) Dad had five children, so he wasn't required to enlist until 1942 when Australian was threatened by invasion. He was wounded in the foot in Balikpapan." Seeing Australian and US troops heading off to battle during what were 'impressionable years', from his home town of Ingham, served to seal the deal. "I grew up around uniforms," is the way Keith put it succinctly. He joined the Regimental Cadets and, as a teenager, brushed aside a cabinet maker apprenticeship to join the Regular Army in 1951. At 18, he was shipped off to Korea in the fight against the Communist North. Engaging the enemy is something the majority of us thankfully never experience. Keith Payne did, and the NOEL WHITTAKER'S DOLLARS+$ENSE 26 BE THE HOST WITH THE MOST 28 lifestyle
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