FLEMING William George Rennie
army officer, transport manager, playwright and sculptor 1934-

W.G.R. (Bill) Fleming was educated in the Queensland State School system and at the Church of England Grammar School (Churchie) Brisbane. He then attended RMC Duntroon, where he also trained as an Army pilot, graduating in 1955.

He was commissioned into the Australian Staff Corps and allotted to RAASC, serving first in 19 NS Trg Bn before being posted to Malaya, with attachments to 55 Air Despatch Coy RASC and as a staff pilot with 656 Air OP/LL Sqn RAF flying Auster MK9 aircraft on anti-CT operations.

Returning to Australia in 1957 he joined the just-raising 1st Army Aviation Company, flying chartered civilian aircraft in support of CMF and ARA exercises and of survey operations in Cape York and the Kimberley. Then after a year at the US Army Quartermaster School in Virginia he served in 1 Coy RAASC, commanded 52 Sup Pl, was 2ic of CMF 15 Tpt Coy, then raised 25 Coy RAASC at Puckapunyal. In 1964 he was then posted as GLO at RAAF Richmond with 38 Sqn RAAF and their newly arrived Caribou. This entailed proving in conjunction with AMTDU the aircraft in its various supply dropping and other Army support roles in exercises and operations in Australia, PNG and SVN.

He then attended the 1966 course at the RAAF Staff College followed by a tour in PNG Comd as DADST, and later DAQMG. From there he went to Malaysia as SO2 (logistics) on a five nation exercise planning staff in 1969, returning to N Comd as SO2 (Removals), then on promotion as AQMG. 

With the raising of 1 Div at Enoggera he transferred there as SO1 Pers/Log. Next was an Indonesian language course at the RAAF School of Languages followed by attendance at the Indonesian Army Staff and Command School. On return he was SO1 DGMovT, with a final Army posting in Materiel Branch.

He then joined the Department of Administrative Services in Canberra as ACT Manager of its Transport and Storage Division., with responsibility for the Commonwealth car fleet, all Commonwealth ACT removals, several vehicle workshops, a large storage facility and a truck fleet – a no-sweat regimental posting for any trained RAASC/RACT officer one might think – except for a very militant TWU and a certainly not to be discounted Storeman and Packers Union. So once again at the bottom of a very steep learning curve, was still climbing it throughout his 10-years tenure.

Understandably, since retirement he has shied away from confrontation and immersed himself in things artistic and creative: stained-glass, pottery, writing plays and film-scripts, modelling and sculpture, with a current project of establishing a ommunity bronze-casting sculpture foundry in Canberra due to be commissioned in 2011. Artistic efforts are represented on his website william-fleming.historia.com.au.

He married Noor Ariffin in 1970: they have three daughters Lena, Farida, and Sonya and now two grandchildren.