As junior ‘3rd Class’ (freshman) Army Officer Staff Cadet at RMC Duntroon following his successful application and acceptance for the January 1987 intake, Julian Knight from recruitment Day 1 copped bastardisation (‘hazing’) from the senior cadets, along with most others.
His in-barracks abuse was from fellow cadets mostly of his own Kokoda infantry training company, platoon and section.
We herein provide his personal account of such episodes he endured between January and June 1987 from senior cadets at RMC Duntroon.
The treatment dished out by RMC Duntroon senior cadets towards their fellow junior cadet Julian Knight was extreme abuse – bullying, criminal assault and battery on multiple occasions, psychological torture, and subject to a sick ‘weed out’ culture by the RMC Duntroon Brass overseen by the RMC Duntroon commandant, Murray Blake – his the rank does not deserve mentioning, save for Australia’s combat enemies.
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4th Trumped-Up Charge:
[during Field Exercise ‘Buna’]
[KNIGHT:] “At 0400hrs on Sunday 29 March 1987, I finished my two-hour radio piquet and returned to the lean-to shelter where the company signallers were sleeping to wake my replacement, Staff Cadet Keith TURKINGTON (CSC No 5330). I began shaking him and saying: “Wake-up, Turks. It’s your turn for piquet!”
TURKINGTON stirred and replied “Yeah. OK.” I waited a few moments but TURKINGTON made no effort to get up, so I shook him harder and repeated what I initially said except louder. TURKINGTON angrily retorted, “Yeah. Yeah. OK!” and began to get out of his sleeping bag. Seeing this, I got into my own sleeping bag and turned on my side. I could hear TURKINGTON moving beside me so I closed my eyes and almost immediately fell asleep.
When everyone awoke at 0600hrs, we instantly noticed that the Company Command Post was unattended and the radios were unmanned. I stared at the radio tent for a few moments then with exasperation realized that TURKINGTON had gone back to sleep after I had woken him earlier.
W02 MADDEN immediately investigated what had happened and questioned TURKINGTON then myself. Following her investigation I was charged by W02 MADDEN with Leaving Post While on Guard Duty (my 4th military offence) in breach of s.32(I)(d) of the DFDA. [which no junior cadet had a copy].
I was angry with myself for not being more diligent in my efforts to ensure that my replacement was on duty before I retired.
TURKINGTON later made a statement for the prosecutor (which he did not tell me about) in which he claimed not to have been woken by me. He stated that he ‘was not woken up to carry out [his] radio picquet by SCDT KNIGHT’ (Statement by SCDT K.A. TURKINGTON, 5 April 87). This charge was heard initially at an OC’s hearing held on 15 April 1987 and ultimately at a CO’s hearing on 24 April 1987.
On the last day of FEX “Buna”, Tuesday 31 March 1987, all the cadets who were injured in some way were transported to the exercise HQ to wait for the rest of the cadets to arrive. The group of injured cadets consisted of about ten 3rd Class cadets -including myself -and around five 2nd Class cadets.
Early that evening the group was waiting on the back of a truck to be driven back to the college when one of the instructors, W02 G. JACKA, dropped the tailgate of the truck and ordered everyone off to help pack up the HQ. During the dismantling of the HQ tent and the loading of stores we (3rd Class cadets) noticed that the 3rd Class cadets were the only cadets present. I returned to the rear of the truck and asked the 2nd Class cadets if they would help us pack up.
No-one replied so I returned to the HQ area. After all the stores had been loaded we (3rd Class cadets) returned to the truck to discover that the 2nd Class cadets had arranged our packs on the floor of the truck and were asleep on top of them. Myself and another 3rd Class cadet, Staff Cadet B.J. HILL (CSC No 5259), sarcastically thanked them for their help.
As we sat down I tried to retrieve my pack from underneath a 2nd Class cadet, Staff Cadet Michael BATISTE (CSC No 4649). He quickly sat up and snapped, “How long have you been at RMC?” I asked him what that had to do with anything. He replied that when we reached 2nd Class we would be exempt from such duties as well. When we returned to the college I was castigated privately by one of the other 2nd Class cadets who had been on the truck for criticising a senior cadet.
[Upon return to Duntroon…]
On Wednesday 1 April 1987, I was fronted before Major Todd VERCOE to discuss my progress through the [FEX ‘Buna’] course. Major VERCOE noted in the official Record of Interview that I recognized that I had to improve my personal organization, my attitude, and my dress and bearing. Major VERCOE went on to note that:
“I confirmed this with him and told him I felt he had the potential to do better. He finally noted that I’d accepted the counselling very positively.”
At 1730hrs on Tuesday 7 April 1987, I went before Major VERCOE to have my Absence From Duty charge relating to my non-attendance at the navigation theory re-training heard.
After I plead guilty to one count of Absence From Duty in breach of s.23(1) of the DFDA, Major VERCOE sentenced me to 4 days Restriction of Privileges (RP) and 4 days Stoppage of Leave (SOL), to be served concurrently.
This meant that I was not to leave the college grounds, except on authorized duty such as attending sports matches, I was not to be present at any recreation or entertainment in RMC, including the cadets’ wet mess, I was not to consume any alcoholic beveridge, but was to attend all Defaulters and Check Parades, and outside working hours I was to remain dressed in the uniform ordered for the day.
Meeting with Chief Instructor [MTW]:
On Wednesday 8 April 1987, I was one of a number of 3rd Class cadets who were fronted before the Chief Instructor (CI) of the Military Training Wing (MTW) , Lieutenant-Colonel Simon WILLIS. I was reprimanded for failing my first navigation theory re-test and for displaying “low personal standards and poor discipline’ on FEX “Buna”.
Lieutenant-Colonel WILLIS also told me:
“You are to work hard to improve your performance in both the [practical] and academic spheres and seek guidance as necessary.”
On Thursday 9 April 1987, I was told that I was currently ranked 103/118 in terms of leadership amongst 3rd Class Cadets at Duntroon military college (*12 junior cadets having already resigned by this time), and in terms of academic progress I was told that I was currently ranked 108/118.
Meeting with Commanding Officer CSC [Duntroon]:
On Thursday 9 April 1987, I was one of a handful of cadets who was seen by the CO of the CSC [Duntroon], Lieutenant-Colonel David KIBBEY. By this stage, there were 118 3rd Class cadets remaining at the college, and I was one of a handful who had been raised for special mention at the RMC Board of Studies (BOS).
Part of the interview with Lieutenant-Colonel David KIBBEY was recorded in an official Record of Interview:
I had not, in fact, been charged with a count of AWOL [Absent Without Official Leave]; I had been charged twice only with Absence From Duty, a lesser charge. I accepted most of what Lieutenant-Colonel KIBBEY had to say except that I found it hard to believe that, in light of my test results, I was 108th in academics.
On Friday 10 April 1987, my initial Absence from Duty charge, which resulted from my non-attendance at the 1st XVIII football match on 15 March, was heard by the OC of Kapyong Company, Major S.A. RODGERS.
Before the hearing, I went to see Staff Cadet QUIN in his room in the Alamein Company barracks. I discovered that QUIN had received my note and had arranged a replacement official. When I informed him that I was being charged over the incident and that I required a statement from him, QUIN claimed he could not remember the name of the replacement and that he would only go as far as stating that he received my note. QUIN refused point blank to state anything further and finally, and reluctantly, wrote out a very brief statement on my insistence. Such a statement, however, was practically useless and as a result, I did not have a defence to the charge.
I obtained Staff Cadet Charles SHAW (CSC No 5201), a 20-year-old 2nd Class cadet from Kokoda Company’s 15 Platoon, as the Prosecutor, and Staff Cadet David HARRIS (CSC No 5174), a 19-year-old 2nd Class cadet from Kokoda Company’s 13 Platoon, as my defending Officer. I wanted to call QUIN as a witness but HARRIS refused to call him – a fellow 2nd Class cadet – because he thought, “it might get Quin into trouble.”
The hearing commenced before Major RODGERS at 0700hrs in the Kapyong Company barracks. As HARRIS refused to contest the charge, I had no option but to plead guilty to the one count of ‘Absence From Duty’ in breach of s.23(1) of the DFDA. HARRIS did mention, however, my attempts to contact Staff Cadet QUIN by note and telephone in his plea of mitigation. Major RODGERS considered these submissions, and then sentenced me to 5 days SOL [Stoppage of Leave].
[One Week of Easter Leave]:
During 15-22 April 1987, I was in Melbourne on Easter leave. On Wednesday 15 April 1987, I obtained a $6,000 car loan from the Canberra branch of the Defence Force Credit Union. On Sunday 19 April 1987, I purchased a second-hand 1974 LH model Torana SL/R 5000 sedan for $5,800. Its registration number was LXN 146.
On Thursday 23 April 1987, I returned to the college from Easter leave.
On Friday 24 April 1987, my Leaving Post While on Guard Duty charge, incurred during FEX “Buna”, was heard by the CO CSC, Lieutenant-Colonel David KIBBEY at the CSC HQ. I obtained Staff Cadet Ashley COLMER (CSC No 4716) as the Prosecutor and Staff Cadet Michael DUNKLEY (CSC No 4675) as my Defending Officer. The college adjutant, Captain R.J. MARTIN, and the college RSM, WOl J .W. BURNS, were also present during the hearing.
I plead guilty to one count of Leaving Post While on Guard Duty in breach of s.32(1)(d) of the DFDA, and DUNKLEY made a plea of mitigation on my behalf. He said that I believed that my replacement was awake and was prepared to arise and proceed to his post. Another 3rd Class cadet who was at the C Company HQ during FEX “Buna”, Staff Cadet Steve GRACE (CSC No 5252), submitted a written statement that he was awoken by my and TURKINGTON’s brief conversation that night. Lieutenant-Colonel KIBBEY rejected this plea and severely reprimanded me before sentencing me to 14 days RP and 21 days SOL (the heaviest penalties that could be awarded at a CO’s hearing).
[SOURCE: The above is an extract in a series of Julian KNIGHT’s records as part of his 97-page ‘Personal Account’ of his 6-month relentless persecution at RMC Duntroon submitted to the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce dated 26 November 2013, pp.31-36].
Julian Knight’s Initial Account of Duntroon dated 1988
(The following is quoted verbatim from Julian Knight’s first draft acccount of his experience at Duntroon. It was a two-page typed letter by Julian on a typewriter in prison to his lawyers around the time of his Supreme Court hearing dealing with Hoddle Street).
‘I had wanted to become an army officer since 1980,the beginning of high school .That year my parents seperated.The following year i joined the army cad6ts.I remained in the cadets until I985.I applied for entry to the Australian Defence Force Academy but was unsuccessful on academic grounds.That year,after completing high sc school i joind the Army Reserve.I was on most of my Army Reserve courses failing only one drivers course. During 1986 i spent one term at Latrobe University but found it not to my liking .While unemployed, for the rest of the year i worked with the Army Reserve. I applied for the Commonwealth Public Service and was accepted but no position became available prmor to the end of the year.I applied for a position at RMC and was accepted.I was uncertain as to whether – I should attend the next intake in January 1987.I wanted to defer entry till later but on the advice of a member of Army Recruiting in Melbourne and because of family expectations I decided to commence in January 1987.I wanted to spend a couple of years in the police force before joining the Army.I was enthusiastic and wanted to do well but was hesitent.I found the class divisions of cadets at the college was not what ihad expected.During Initial Corps Training (ICT) I began to believe that I did’nt fit in with the rest of my class.I started to wonde whether I was suited to the profession . or not.During this period I felt free to perform to the best of my abilities and was free from the. subsequent haras.sment and pressures .MY., first instructors’ report from ICT suggested that I was immature.My report said that I often asked immature questions which I can now see may have indicated my level of maturity.I had thought at the time that they were appropriate.My report after trie .Lirst field execise on ICT,Said that I had improved.On returning to RMC, I found that the lass structure not to be what I had expected. The class divisions were far wider. The biggest division is between the senior classes and the third class.The high handedness of some of the seniors was beyond my belief at this stage. One 24 year old married man in third class was told to get his gear in inspection ordor or he would notget to see his family the follWing weekend even if he did have leave. I found the senior cadets singled out a couple of third class members, including myself and staff cadet Ridd. Staff cadet Ridd eventually went.AWOL, returned breifly and resigned. He was also a little different from the other cadets. Staff cadet Ridd was continually harassed until he went AWOL . He simply ignored the seniors when they yelled at him and abused him. I was specifically verbally harassed throughout my time at the college because of my haircut, side burns, moustache, clothes, type of car and girls i mixed with outside the college. I was told continually in often abusive language to get my side burns cut, change my haircut, and ·Shave off my moustache. My side burns in particular came under attack although they were of normal regulation length. All these incidents were minor except that they occurred several times eachday. Eventually some of my class mates held me down in my room and shaved one side burn off. I have no doubt that this was at the instigation of the seniors as only a couple of days before,I had been told by a senior that this would occur: AS it was my class-mates who wre· nvolved I treated it as a joke but at the time felt that it was an infringement on my personal liberty.Over the past month I replaced SCDPT Ridd as the centre of the seniors’attention. Iwas told in frequent occassions by many senior cadets and two Warrant-Officrs on the staff that I should resign. Some other cadets also came in for a. great deal of verbal abuse.I know that, at least in public, was abused more frequently and more savagely. In private I cannot say what happened to others but I still may have been more abused.It is difficult to cover all incidents of verbal abuse but it was the case that with the possibility of a few exceptions seniors in their dealings with me continually used coarse language,were unnesessarily abusive and belittling of me and what i did or tried to do.’
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