Unfortunately, Bomber was medically discharged from the Army because his war service injuries prevented him from continuing the arduous duties expected of a senior NCO (Non Commissioned Officer) within the Corp of Engineers. Utilising his knowledge, experience and skills in military and civil explosives Bomber became a self employed contractor in the oil, gas and civil construction and demolition industry.  

Having had to retire from the workforce at least 10 to 15 years before normal retirement age, Tony was at a loose end. His knowledge of both civil and military demolitions, bomb detection and disposal, which had had been a large part of the last 41 years of Bombers life, places him at the very top in his field.

Back in the late sixties, early seventies, Bomber served in Vietnam as a Field (Combat Engineer - FE) Engineer. He is one of a relatively few FE’s around today who can legitimately lay claim to being one of the Vietnam era’s “Tunnel Rats”. A proud tradition solely for members of 3 Field Troop Independent and 1, 2 and 3 Troop of 1 Field Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers (1 Fld Sqn. RAE). Tony served with 3 Troop.

As an FE, Bomber was called, on countless occasions, to a Mine Incident involving our own diggers. His duties were to take control of the situation, and both calmly and professionally disarm any other mines, booby traps or other devices found in the vicinity. It was a feature of Vietnam guerrillas style of warfare that where there was one device, then there was almost always another one or two waiting to kill and maim the now disorientated and shocked Australian soldier. An Engineer had to prod and mark a safe path, usually on hands and knees, with a bayonet into and around the casualties to enable Medics to get in and treat the wounded. T hen he had to make safe an area where a medivac helicopter could safely evacuate the wounded to the nearest military hospital.  

A remarkable but very stressful job, given that the images were so shocking that Bomber is determined to do all in his power to stop any human being having to go through the pain, mutilation and suffering he saw on an all too often basic in Vietnam. 

It is a sad fact that most of the mine victims in Cambodia today are children, (little children will always explore and wander and are unable to comprehend the real danger mines pose to them). 

Until these mines are destroyed they will continue to perform their designated task which is a primarily a military function. eg: Killing, maiming, indiscriminately cutting a swath of destruction whenever someone is unfortunate enough to activate one of them. - a mine has no conscience and couldn’t care less who is the victim. Figures show that it is the children that are most affected by these death devices in Cambodia. 

Bombers hatred of mines and what they are capable of was stirred again around 7 years ago when he saw a TV programme here in Australia on the problems the Australian Woman Volunteer Orphanage owner, (Geraldine Cox) was having in trying to get the orphanage dam site cleared of bombs and landmines.

He then decided that he could do something about this to help, so by running raffles in Hotels, lucky numbers and private donations, he collected sufficient money together to buy a purpose built mine detector here in Australia, (from Minelabs  at http://www.minelab.com.au in South Australia - see website left) and then, entirely at his own expense, he flew to Phnom Penh in Cambodia to offer assistance to Geraldine to clear an old bomb crater that was being used by the children at the orphanage as a swimming hole.. While in Phnom Penh, Bomber heard stories about a young ex-Cambodian Army  soldier named Akira who is (and has been for many years) clearing UXB’s (Unexploded Bombs) and Landmines from many small isolated, remote and occupied bush villages all over Cambodia, (Akira and his voluntary landmine clearance work - even then, 7 years ago is legendary throughout SE Asia). Akira's only source of income was from tourist donations he was able to collect at his Landmine/Bomb Museum in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  Bomber met Akira and gave him the detector as a gift and there began a close personal friendship formed on trust and mutual respect that still exists today. Bomber’s travels to Siem Reap at least once each year to work with Akira, and  over the last 7 years they have worked side by side in minefields lifting and clearing active landmines that would otherwise remain in wait for yet another unsuspecting victim.

Bombers says that Minelabs support over the years has enabled him to keep up the supply of purpose built detectors to Akira and his de-miners in Cambodia. These Minelabs detectors have performed outstandingly and without problem since they were first introduced into Akira's arsenal of the de-miners tools of trade. The quality and reliability allows the team to get on with the job knowing that they have the best equipment that is available. Bomber continues to support Akira by supplying equipment that assists him in his operation along with limited sponsorship to attend  explosive  course in the United Kingdom.

On each and every visit to Akira in Cambodia Bomber has always paid all of his own expenses, (airfares, accommodation, food... etc) and none of the donated funds is used by Bomber for any reason as it all goes to Akira's operation on the ground in Cambodia - straight to the “coal face”, a term Bomber uses often. 

Bomber is most certainly not a wealthy man. The expenses needed for each trip to Cambodia is saved up from his Military Compensatory payments and pension. As mentioned earlier, Bomber was forced to retire from the Australian Army due to injuries and illnesses he sustained during war service in Vietnam and from other injuries he sustained during his many years of military service both overseas and in Australia.  

Putting together all of Bomber’s required medication for the usual two to three month visit to Cambodia becomes a logistics nightmare. He has a chronic back condition, both knees have major issues with one having had its joint totally replaced with the other in waiting for the surgeon’s knife. Bomber suffers a level of joint pain that would fell a horse and his medication reflects that. He has difficulty sleeping, not just from joint pain, but from intrusive and vivid memories of the carnage and human suffering that he has witnessed emanating from the many mine incidents he attended during his term of duty in Vietnam as an Engineer.

On one horrifying day (28th February 1970), he lost a close friend in a booby trap situation, while another friend and fellow Engineer was seriously wounded. In the same incident, and within the same hour, another eight soldiers had lost their lives to a further series of mine explosions linked to the booby trap incident. Others were lucky, but many lost limbs, others their sight, while many died in the years that followed from injuries received that day. Every soldier who was even remotely involved in a mine incident carries ongoing and intrusive memories, and will until their graves. Similar incidents like this one mentioned occurred almost on an almost daily basis and it was hard not to become affected by the utter waste of young soldiers being butchered in this manner. It is understandable why Bomber carries such hatred for mines in any form. Only those who have witnessed such events could be so passionately opposed to this form of warfare.          

Bomber’s aim is to help the Cambodians by supporting Akira to enable the local population to help themselves to get rid of the estimated 6 to 10 million landmines and other explosive devices that still await their next victim in that and other SE Asian countries today. Akira is the conduit through which all pledges and donations are spent. Nary a cent of donated funds is used unless it is directly to support the work of Akira.

Akira and his volunteer native Cambodian village de-miners lack the money to train, equip and support themselves as they go about getting rid of the lethal indiscriminate death dealing devices (landmines in their many and varied forms) that have been left over from half a century of internal warfare. Mines have killed, maimed and injured tens of thousands of innocent Cambodian men, women and sadly, too many of their children.