LINDSAY Neville Ross
army officer, historian and welfare worker 1934-

Born in Brisbane, Neville Lindsay was educated at the Central Practising School and Brisbane Boys College. He then attended the Royal Military College Duntroon and later Australian National University for a BA (Hons).

After graduation he was commissioned in the Australian Staff Corps and allotted to RAASC. He served in 11 NS Trg Bn, with the CMF in N Comd Tps, as OC and Chief Instructor of N Comd Trade Trg Centre, and Capt RAASC in Papua New Guinea. Then came a posting as GSO3/GSO2 in the Directorate of Military Training, followed by training in the UK, US, and attendance at the Australian Staff College. After a term as DADST C Comd/OC 104 Tpt Coy, he was DAQMG/AQMG in HQ AFV, and on return became CRASC S Comd, then CRAASC ANZUK Force Singapore, CTMO 1 MD, and attendance at the Joint Services Staff College. This was followed a posting as SO1 and A/Director of Operations in DGOP, Director of Logistic Development, and attendance at the Administrative Staff College Mt Eliza. His final position was Colonel Logistics 1 MD.

On transferring to the Army Reserve in 1987 he devoted himself to research and writing history, producing Equal to the Task vol 1 The RAASC and Loyalty and Service The Officer Cadet School Portsea. Other literary occupations included editing and publishing the RUSIQ Bulletin and the Anzac Day Magazine, co-writing We Serve and contributing to various journals and the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

In Melbourne he served on the Road Safety Committee 1970-71 and then the Singapore National Safety Council; from the former, Victoria introduced helmets for motor cyclists, the .05 alcohol limit, seat belts and head restraints with a halving of road deaths, which spread to the other states – real results compared with the useless sloganeering and revenue-raising fines of today. As president of Indooroopilly Bowls Club he oversaw the successful redevelopment of the site into a modern club. As well as serving on the Defence Welfare Association and Anzac Day Committees, he was a long-term member of the board of RSL Care, during which time it grew from a $10 million company caring for a few hundred to a $400 million one looking after 5,000. He was awarded the OAM for services to the Defence Community.

After a stint of developing audiovisual publications for the ADF Warfare Centre, he turned to converting his own writings to on-line audio-visual format and producing further historical volumes on Equal to the Task volumes 2 and 3 – The Transportation Services and The RACT, and an as-yet untitled book on Australia’s Citizen Forces 1788-2010. As a sideline, he indulges in maintaining a wine cellar, gardening, fishing and lawn bowls.

He married Del in 1959 and they have a son Peter, a daughter Gillian and grandson James.