Alan Stretton

Template:Short description Template:For Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox military person Template:Infobox AFL biography Major General Alan Bishop Stretton, Template:Post-nominals (30 September 1922 – 26 October 2012) was a senior Australian Army officer. He came to public prominence through his work in charge of cleanup efforts at Darwin in the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Day 1974.<ref name=StrettonDies/> As head of the National Disasters Organisation he managed the evacuation of 35,000 people in six days, including loading a jumbo jet with 673 passengers,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> mostly children, then a record for the most people aloft in the one aircraft.

Early years

Stretton was born on 30 September 1922 in Melbourne, Victoria.<ref name=WhosWho>STRETTON, Alan Bishop, Who's Who in Australasia and the Far East, Melrose Press, 1989, p.531</ref> He was educated at Caulfield Grammar School<ref name=Caufield>"His Hobby— Alan Stretton with his fantail pigeons at the exhibition of hobbies held at the Caulfield Grammar School yesterday", The Argus, Tuesday, 9 December 1930, p.5.</ref> and Scotch College, Melbourne.<ref name=Scotch/> After graduating from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, he began his military career serving with the 2/9th Battalion during the Second World War.<ref>Wallace Crouch (31 December 1974) Darwin's Dictator for a week, The Sydney Morning Herald, p.4</ref><ref>Dickens 2005, p. x.</ref>

Football

In 1946 and 1947 Stretton played 16 games of Australian rules football in the Victorian Football League with St Kilda, after arriving at the club from Duntroon.<ref>Gossip from League Clubs, The Argus (Melbourne), 10 May 1946, p.15.
Alan Stretton, who will play at centre half-back for St Kilda, gained valuable experience at Royal Military College at Duntroon. He is 6ft lin and weighs 14st 10lb.</ref>

Military career

Stretton served in the army from 1940 to 1978. In the Second World War he served as a platoon commander in the 2/9th Battalion.<ref name=Scotch>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the Korean War he served in the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment from 1954 to 1955. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire on 13 December 1955.<ref name=MBE/> In Malaya he served as the commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1961–63). On 12 June 1965 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.<ref name=OBE/> He served three tours during the Vietnam War, in 1962, 1966 and 1967. He was Director of administrative planning at headquarters (1966–69), and from 1969 to 1970 was chief of staff of the Australian forces. On 8 January 1971 he was advanced to Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his service in Vietnam.<ref name=CBE/> In 1970 the South Vietnamese government awarded him the Distinguished Service Order and in 1973 the US awarded him the Bronze Star Medal.<ref name=Scotch/><ref name=smh>Template:Cite news</ref>

During his time in Malaya and Vietnam, without attending a lecture, he studied by correspondence from the jungle and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland in 1966. He was admitted as a barrister in the New South Wales and High Courts in 1969.<ref name=Scotch/><ref name=smh/>

Stretton was promoted to brigadier in 1971 and from 1972 to 1974 was deputy director (military) of the Joint Intelligence Organisation and member of the National Intelligence Committee.<ref name=Scotch/><ref name=smh/>

Cyclone Tracy and post-military

Stretton was jointly named the 1975 Australian of the Year,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> with Sir John Cornforth.

He wrote The Furious Days: The Relief of Darwin (1976) and Soldier in the Storm (1978), retiring from public life in 1978. He practiced law in Canberra into his 70s.<ref name=Scotch/>

In 1999, in only his second visit to the city of Darwin since Cyclone Tracy, he presented his insignia as Officer of the Order of Australia, and his award as Australian of the Year, to the people of Darwin.

In 2003 he publicly criticised the Australian Government's policy of involvement with the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, in an open letter in which he stated: "The alleged connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qa'ida is ludicrous."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He died on 26 October 2012 at Batemans Bay Hospital in New South Wales, aged 90.<ref name=StrettonDies>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>John Thistleton (29 October 2012) Vale Major-General Alan Stretton, The Canberra Times</ref>

List of honours

File:AUS Order of Australia (military) BAR.svg	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)	9 June 1975<ref name=AO>It's an Honour Template:Webarchive – Officer of the Order of Australia – 9 June 1975 Citation: AO (MILITARY DIVISION) QB 1975. CBE 1971. OBE QB 1965. MBE 1955</ref><ref name=portrait1987/>
File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.png	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)	8 January 1971<ref name=Scotch/><ref name=smh/><ref name=CBE>It's an Honour Template:Webarchive – Commander of the Order of the British Empire – 8 January 1971 Citation: ARMY – Staff Corps – Vietnam.</ref><ref name=portrait1987/>
	Officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE)	12 June 1965<ref name=Scotch/><ref name=smh/><ref name=OBE>It's an Honour Template:Webarchive – Officer of the Order of the British Empire – 12 June 1965 Citation: ARMY – Staff Corps – Postwar Honours List</ref>
	Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)	13 December 1955<ref name=Scotch/><ref name=smh/><ref name=MBE>It's an Honour Template:Webarchive – Member of the Order of the British Empire – 13 December 1955 Citation: ARMY – Infantry – Distinguished service in Korea</ref>
File:Pacific Star BAR.svg	Pacific Star	<ref name=portrait1987>Gwendolene E. Pratt (1987) Portrait of Alan B. Stretton AO OBE LLB, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.</ref>
File:War Medal 1939–1945 (UK) ribbon.png	War Medal 1939–1945	<ref name=portrait1987/>
File:Australian Service Medal 1939-45 ribbon.jpg	Australia Service Medal 1939–45	<ref name=portrait1987/>
File:United Nations Service Medal ribbon.svg	United Nations Korea Medal	<ref name=portrait1987/>
File:Vietnam Medal BAR.svg	Vietnam Medal	<ref name=Scotch/><ref name=smh/><ref name=portrait1987/>
File:AUS Centenary Medal ribbon.svg	Centenary Medal	1 January 2001<ref name=CM>It's an Honour Template:Webarchive – Centenary Medal – 1 January 2001 Citation: For service to the community including restoration of Darwin post-Cyclone Tracy</ref>
File:DFSM with Rosette x 4.png	Defence Force Service Medal with four clasps	For 35–39 years service<ref name=portrait1987/>
File:National Medal with Rosette x 2.png	National Medal with 2 Rosettes	For a total of 35 years service<ref name=NM>It's an Honour Template:Webarchive – National Medal – 14 July 1977 Citation: The National Medal is awarded for diligent long service to the community in hazardous circumstances, including in times of emergency and national disaster, in direct protection of life and property.</ref><ref name="NM Bar 1">It's an Honour Template:Webarchive – National Medal, 1st Clasp – 14 July 1977 Citation: The National Medal is awarded for diligent long service to the community in hazardous circumstances, including in times of emergency and national disaster, in direct protection of life and property.</ref><ref name="NM Bar 2">It's an Honour Template:Webarchive – National Medal, 2nd Clasp – 27 January 1978 Citation: The National Medal is awarded for diligent long service to the community in hazardous circumstances, including in times of emergency and national disaster, in direct protection of life and property.</ref><ref name=portrait1987/>
File:Australian Defence Medal (Australia) ribbon.png	Australian Defence Medal	2006
File:Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp.svg	Vietnam Campaign Medal	(South Vietnam)<ref name=Scotch/><ref name=smh/><ref name=portrait1987/>

See also

• List of Caulfield Grammar School people

References

• Template:Cite book

External links

• Template:AFL Tables
• Template:AustralianFootball
• Alan Stretton, at The VFA Project.