You Shouldn't Have Joined

With special guest:

• General Sir Peter Cosgrove
  … in conversation with Bill Kable

It is a real privilege when we get to speak with Australia’s 26^th Governor General.

Sir Peter Cosgrove has had several lifetimes it appears as we look at his extensive action packed biography. And it is a measure of the man that not only does he retain an intimate knowledge of all his achievements but that he is so open and candid in looking back on them.

Sir Peter’s career included fighting roles in Vietnam. It also included being the primary assistant to some of the most senior positions in the land. He was Aide de Camp for the Chief of Army and also to the Governor General Sir Paul Hasluck. He rose to attain those same positions himself as Chief of Army and later Governor General.

Sir Peter returned to Duntroon as the Commander many years after graduating from that institution. When he was nearing the time for his departure Sir Peter had expected retirement. However it was the complete opposite when he was asked to lead the international forces being sent to restore order in East Timor. It is hard to imagine a more difficult assignment with the physical danger and the overwhelming political considerations. No doubt the East Timorese are forever in debt to Sir Peter for what he achieved there.

Next he was asked to lead the relief effort for Cyclone Larry in Queensland. All these high profile appointments contributed to his elevation to the first citizen of Australia as Governor General.

Against this background the surprising thing is that Sir Peter maintains his easy rapport with everyone he comes into contact with. While always respectful of the office of Governor General he is not one for airs and graces. Sir Peter is a family man who talks like one of us, just with many amazing stories. We asked him directly if life changed after he was made Sir Peter, probably the last Australian to be so appointed and as with everything else he was open in his response.

With so much to talk about we did not get on to his views on Australia becoming a republic but you can read all about that in his memoir You Shouldn’t Have Joined …

This is an enthralling episode which includes plenty of army action and access to behind the scenes life in the highest office in the land.

General Sir Peter Cosgrove

Peter Cosgrove was born in Sydney in 1947. The son of a soldier, he attended Waverley College in Sydney and graduated in 1968 from the Royal Military College, Duntroon. Early in his military career, he fought in Vietnam, commanding a rifle platoon. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1971 for his performance and leadership during an assault on enemy positions.

In 1972, he served as Aide de Camp to Governor-General Sir Paul Hasluck. He returned to regimental life as second in command of a Company, rising to Adjutant then Company Commander in the Army’s 5th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (5 RAR), then 5/7 RAR in Holsworthy, Sydney. Subsequent appointments included a period as a tactics instructor at the Army’s Infantry Centre in Singleton, New South Wales; a year’s study at the United States Marine Corps Staff College in Quantico, USA; extended periods of duty in the United Kingdom and India; and command of 1 RAR. He was appointed a Member in the Military Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service in command in 1983-84.

Peter Cosgrove came to national attention in 1999 when, as Commander of the International Task Force East Timor (INTERFET), he was responsible for overseeing that country’s transition to independence. For his leadership in this role he was promoted to Companion in the Military Division of the Order of Australia (AC).

Promoted to Lieutenant General, he was appointed Chief of Army in 2000. After further promotion to General, he served as Chief of the Defence Force from 2002 to 2005. He retired from the Australian Defence Force in 2005. Subsequently, he accepted positions on several boards, including QANTAS, Cardno and the Australian Rugby Union. He was appointed by the Queensland Government to lead the taskforce rebuilding communities in the Innisfail region following the devastation caused by Cyclone Larry in 2006. From 2007 to 2012, he chaired the Council of the Australian War Memorial, and served as Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University from 2010 until early 2014.

On 25 March 2014, General Cosgrove became a Knight in the Order of Australia when he was sworn in as Governor-General (2014-2019).

Song selection by our guest: Those Were The Days by Mary Hopkin

Note: This program is an encore presentation of the one aired on 10 December 2020.

Podcast (mp3)