The secret nature of these clandestine conflicts has kept the lid on individual stories of bravery and mateship. Find out exactly what it was like to be in a high-speed patrol boat, intercepting seaborne infiltrators.

JOINT OPERATION AGAINST COMMUNIST TERRORISTS

NAME: Barry Caligari

DATE: 1959

UNIT: 3RAR

LOCATION: Malaya

In the latter stages of the Malayan Emergency, members of 3RAR (Old Faithful) continued to carry out patrols against the Communist Terrorists.
 

WAR CORRESPONDENTS WITHOUT A WAR!

NAME: John Grigsby

DATE: 1955

UNIT:

LOCATION: Malaya

It's a dangerous business covering wars and for journalists it is never easy, but when the war isn't a war but an anti-terrorist action, they find things even tougher.
 

RAAF BUTTERWORTH UPGRADED BY NO 2 AIRFIELD CONSTRUCTION SQUADRON

NAME: Kevin  Le Fevre

DATE: 1955

UNIT: No 2 Airfield Construction Squadron

LOCATION: Butterworth, Malaya

Australia's major area of strategic concern in 1953-54 changed from the Middle East to South-East Asia with the threat of communism and the domino theory uppermost in the minds of the government.
 

NATIONAL SERVICEMEN TOOK PART IN UNDECLARED WAR

NAME: Michael O'Dea

DATE: 1966

UNIT: 4RAR

LOCATION: Indonesian Confrontation, Malaysia

Private Michael O'Dea was called up for National Service in 1965 when his birth date was pulled out of the hat. But unlike many of his colleagues he didn't go to Vietnam. Instead he went to Borneo where Indonesian guerillas were infiltrating Malaysia.
 

MINESWEEPER PATROLS DURING INDONESIAN CONFRONTATION

NAME: Alan  Smoothy

DATE: 1963

UNIT: HMAS Snipe, RAN

LOCATION: Malaysia

Friction between Indonesia and the newly created Malaysia forced the Australian Government to come out in support of Malaysia in 1963. Australia introduced high-speed patrol boats to intercept any seaborne infiltrators.