Peter Gration
Encyclopedia
General
Peter Courtney Gration AC, OBE (6 January 1932 – ) is an Australia
n general who served in the positions of Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Defence Force
; the professional head of the Australian Army
and Australian Defence Force
respectively.
, Victoria
, on 6 January 1932. He attended Melbourne's Scotch College
from 1945 until matriculation in 1948, during which time he was active in the school's cricket, football and athletics teams.
, Gration began his course at the college in 1949. He graduated as a lieutenant
three years later with the Queen's Medal, and was allocated to the Royal Australian Engineers
. During the following two years, Gration was a resident student at Ormond College
in the University of Melbourne
where he completed a Bachelor of Civil Engineering
degree; Gration subsequently completed a Bachelor of Arts
and Bachelor of Economics at the University of Queensland
in later years.
Gration saw active service during the Malayan Emergency
, before attending the British Army
Staff College, Camberley
in 1964. He completed a tour of duty during the Vietnam War
between 1969 and 1970, during which time he was posted as commanding officer of the 1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit with the rank of lieutenant colonel
. For his "distinguished services" in Vietnam, Gration was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1971.
In 1973, Gration was appointed Director of Engineers. Following that three year stint, he was posted to a course at the United States Army
War College
. Gration was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 1984 Australia Day
Honours List for his service as Assistant Chief of the Defence Force Staff. Later that year he was promoted to lieutenant general
and appointed Chief of the General Staff - the professional head of the Australian Army.
In 1987 Gration was appointed Chief of the Defence Force and promoted to general
. In the Australia Day Honours of 1988 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). Following forty-four years of service, Gration retired from the Australian Army and active military service in 1993.
, Chairman of the Management Committee of Transfield Defence Systems, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Australian Defence College
, Director of Tenix Pty Ltd, Chairman of Tenix Toll Defence Logistics Pty Ltd, Founding Chairman of the General Sir John Monash
Foundation, and National President of Toc H.
In 1993 Gration was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science
from the University of New South Wales
. During 1994–1995, Gration served as a consultant to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and had primary responsibility for negotiation of a security agreement with Indonesia
. During this time, he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Melbourne University Regiment
, and made Representative Colonel Commandant of the Royal Australian Engineers during 2000.
Since the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
, Gration has been open in his criticism of Australia's involvement in the war. In an article he wrote for The Age
, Gration declared: "... there are insufficient grounds for war, which is unnecessary and may lead to unpredictable and potentially disastrous consequences. It is not in Australia's interests to take part in such a war." He was awarded the inaugural Peace Prize from the Australian Medical Association for the Prevention of War in April 2005 for his "outspoken criticism".
Married with two sons, Gration is an Hononary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. His brother Air Marshal Barry Gration
was Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Australian Air Force
from 1992 until 1994.
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General (Australia)
General is the second highest rank, and the highest active rank, of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of General; it is also considered a four-star rank....
Peter Courtney Gration AC, OBE (6 January 1932 – ) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n general who served in the positions of Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Defence Force
Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)
Chief of the Defence Force is the most senior appointment in the Australian Defence Force . The CDF commands the ADF under the direction of the Minister of Defence, in a coequal arrangement with the Secretary of Defence, the most senior public servant in the Department of Defence.The position is a...
; the professional head of the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
and Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
respectively.
Early life
Gration was born in RichmondRichmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, on 6 January 1932. He attended Melbourne's Scotch College
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
from 1945 until matriculation in 1948, during which time he was active in the school's cricket, football and athletics teams.
Military career
Accepted into the Royal Military College, DuntroonRoyal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
, Gration began his course at the college in 1949. He graduated as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
three years later with the Queen's Medal, and was allocated to the Royal Australian Engineers
Royal Australian Engineers
The Royal Australian Engineers is a corps of the Australian Army . The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, behind the Staff Cadets, Armoured and Artillery Corps...
. During the following two years, Gration was a resident student at Ormond College
Ormond College (University of Melbourne)
Ormond College is the largest of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne. It is home to 332 undergraduates, 30 postgraduates and 27 professorial/academic residents.-Establishment:...
in the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
where he completed a Bachelor of Civil Engineering
Bachelor of Engineering
The Bachelor of Engineering is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at universities in Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland , Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Korea,...
degree; Gration subsequently completed a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Bachelor of Economics at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
in later years.
Gration saw active service during the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
, before attending the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
in 1964. He completed a tour of duty during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
between 1969 and 1970, during which time he was posted as commanding officer of the 1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit with the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. For his "distinguished services" in Vietnam, Gration was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1971.
In 1973, Gration was appointed Director of Engineers. Following that three year stint, he was posted to a course at the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
War College
U.S. Army War College
The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...
. Gration was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 1984 Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
Honours List for his service as Assistant Chief of the Defence Force Staff. Later that year he was promoted to lieutenant general
Lieutenant General (Australia)
Lieutenant general is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a three-star rank....
and appointed Chief of the General Staff - the professional head of the Australian Army.
In 1987 Gration was appointed Chief of the Defence Force and promoted to general
General (Australia)
General is the second highest rank, and the highest active rank, of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of General; it is also considered a four-star rank....
. In the Australia Day Honours of 1988 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). Following forty-four years of service, Gration retired from the Australian Army and active military service in 1993.
Retirement
Since his retirement from the army, Gration has held various senior positions in companies and charities, including: Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of the Council of the Australian War MemorialAustralian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
, Chairman of the Management Committee of Transfield Defence Systems, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Australian Defence College
Australian Defence College
The Australian Defence College comprises three tri-service educational organisations operated by the Australian Defence Force in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory:* the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies ,...
, Director of Tenix Pty Ltd, Chairman of Tenix Toll Defence Logistics Pty Ltd, Founding Chairman of the General Sir John Monash
John Monash
General Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD was a civil engineer who became the Australian military commander in the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the War and then became commander of the 4th Brigade in Egypt shortly after the outbreak of the War with whom he took part...
Foundation, and National President of Toc H.
In 1993 Gration was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
from the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. During 1994–1995, Gration served as a consultant to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and had primary responsibility for negotiation of a security agreement with Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. During this time, he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Melbourne University Regiment
Melbourne University Regiment
The Melbourne University Regiment is an officer training unit in the Australian Army Reserve. It has a depot at Grattan Street, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia....
, and made Representative Colonel Commandant of the Royal Australian Engineers during 2000.
Since the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, Gration has been open in his criticism of Australia's involvement in the war. In an article he wrote for The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, Gration declared: "... there are insufficient grounds for war, which is unnecessary and may lead to unpredictable and potentially disastrous consequences. It is not in Australia's interests to take part in such a war." He was awarded the inaugural Peace Prize from the Australian Medical Association for the Prevention of War in April 2005 for his "outspoken criticism".
Married with two sons, Gration is an Hononary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. His brother Air Marshal Barry Gration
Barry Gration
Air Marshal Ian Barrington "Barry" Gration AO, AFC is a former senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, whose career culminated with his appointment as Chief of the Air Staff between 1992 and 1994.-Service career:...
was Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
from 1992 until 1994.
Honours and Awards
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Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) | (1988) |
| Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) | (1984) | |
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Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) | (1971) |
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Australian Active Service Medal 1945–1975 | |
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Vietnam Medal Vietnam Medal The Vietnam Medal was a joint Australian and New Zealand campaign medal awarded for service in the Vietnam War.The medal was jointly developed by Australia and New Zealand, although there were separate Royal authorisation warrants for each country.... |
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Australian Service Medal 1945–1975 | |
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Centenary Medal Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government... |
(2001) |
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Defence Force Service Medal Defence Force Service Medal The Defence Force Service Medal is an Australian Military award given for long service by permanent members of the Australian Defence Force... with Federation Star (5 clasps) |
(40–44 years service) |
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National Medal National Medal National Medal can refer to:* National Medal * National Medal of Arts* National Humanities Medal* National Medal of Science* National Medal of Technology and Innovation... with clasp |
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Australian Defence Medal Australian Defence Medal The Australian Defence Medal is an Australian military decoration which recognises current and former Australian Defence Force personnel who completed an initial enlistment period, or four years service... |
(2006) |
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Vietnam Campaign Medal Vietnam Campaign Medal The Vietnam Campaign Medal is a military recognition awarded by the Republic of Vietnam, , to any member of the United States, Australian, New Zealand and allied military forces serving six months or more in support of Republic of Vietnam military operations.Established in 1966, the decoration is... |
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Pingat Jasa Malaysia Pingat Jasa Malaysia The Pingat Jasa Malaysia is a medal given by the King and Government of Malaysia. The name translates into English as the "Malaysian Service Medal". It was created in 2004 and is awarded to British and Commonwealth forces who served in Malaysia during the Malayan Emergency and the... |