On Monday April 2nd I was privileged, together with Tom McVeigh to interview Ron Wall and to write his story. My hope is that I can do justice to this story of the life and times of Ron, for it is a snapshot of times that most Old Boys would not remember. Prepared by Jim Gray (1949–52).

Born in Tamworth in 1914, Ron was one of a family of four children. His reflections showed the tenacity and drive of his father Frank Wall and explained why Ron has crowded so much into his life to date. When Ron was four years of age, his father, hearing of good land being made available round Cecil Plains on the Darling Downs, through the Soldier Settlement Scheme, travelled to Toowoomba where he learned from the Land Ranger that only one Civilian Block was available as well as the Soldier Settlement Blocks. So ‘sight unseen’ he acquired ‘Glendon’, a property of 1200 acres. Deciding that he should look it over, he travelled by train to Mt Tyson, borrowed a horse and rode to his new property to find that while the land was the best of all the blocks being offered, the only dwelling on it was a worker’s hut which he decided would become his family home while they established the property. So they moved in.

Ron commenced his Primary Education at Cecil Plains State School, to which he rode a horse for two miles and then walked the last three miles. When asked why he used this travel pattern, Ron quickly explained that his mother feared for him crossing the river on his horse, so together with four other kids he walked over the 30ft high railway bridge and then into Cecil Plains. When a new school was opened at Nangwee, Ron was an inaugural pupil and was spared the river crossing.

Primary schooling completed, Ron was sent to Nudgee, because his father, though not highly educated himself, believed his son must be. So in 1928, by train and the old Sandgate busses he made his way to Nudgee. Here he remained until 1929 when a victim of depression and drought he had to return home to work the property. By now Glendon had been developed into a sheep property. His father had acquired ‘Bonoke Blood’ sheep from the Charleville area and to save these, the drought meant Ron’s first task after leaving Nudgee was to keep these sheep alive by taking them out in the ‘long paddock’. Many nights he slept on his groundsheet, under the stars with his head pillowed in his saddle. Here he worked developing a love of the land and the skills to improve their property and to expand.

In 1936, his family acquired Lyndon Park, a property of 1400 acres which had been part of the 50,000 acre property ‘Bon Accord’, 40 miles from Glendon and five miles from Jimbour. Sheep farming was gradually being replaced by wheat farming. Mechanisation was replacing horse power and huge areas could now be tilled. The soil was also more suitable to wheat than sheep.

During this time, Ron and his father together with other farmers involved themselves in establishing the Wheat Board, so that individual disparate farmers could achieve the security of corporate marketing to be free of the controls of mill owners. Through the efforts of many farmers like Frank and Ron, the Queensland Cooperative Milling Company was funded and established. These negotiations were extremely difficult in those days in that area, because it was not until 1941 that they had a phone connection to either of their properties.

Like many of the young men of the Downs, Ron was a member of the Light Horse. Keeping alive the traditions of this fighting force from World War 1 together with their love of fine horses made this a natural way of life for many. They practiced the art and skills of mounted warfare on monthly meetings and regular camps.

When world War 11 broke out, like many of his friends, Ron sought transfer from the Light Horse to the RAAF. After training at Amberley, Parkes and Evans Head he sailed to Britain and was posted to 35 Squadron, Linton-on-Ouse. Their squadron volunteered for Pathfinder duties. Their first operation was an attack on the Submarine Pens at Flensberg on the North German Coast. When making their approach they were attacked by two JU88’s. Their inner starboard engine and wing were set on fire. They were however able to hit back and one of the planes was shot down and the other disabled. However their controls were gone and they were forced to bale out at 13,000ft. Thus they earned the dubious distinction of being the first Pathfinder crew shot down on operations.

Fortunately none of the crew were injured or killed and after re-grouping on landing they decided to make for Copenhagen. For the next ten days they wandered around Denmark until they were taken into custody by Danish Police who lodged them with the German garrison at Haderflev and thence to Dulag Luft. He was transferred to Lamsdorf as POW 26876 where he met up with a number of men with whom he had trained as well as fellow Pathfinders.