Vale:Robert (Bobby) Middleton
January 3rd 2008 09:00
You know the world is a small place really I did intend to write part three of my travels but a long lost brother of a dear friend read the first two parts of this and asked if I was the person who grew up with his brother now it started this story and I must dedicate this part to him and his memory
My mate Bobby, was born 7 days later than me his birthday is the 14th December and mine is the 7th so we had many glorious birthdays celebrated together as we were both born in 1936 in the Chinese year of the rat we reckoned it was appropriate for us so we made the best of it.
We both loved our Triumph Thunderbirds, and went riding together at the least possible excuse, work wise we went our separate ways early in the days but strange is life we both went to Vietnam, we both suffered the same embarrassing climax to the uprising as I outlined in my part 2 I went on to the Public Service He went to Queensland and bought a farm this is when we lost touch till the end of last year (2007) and by then it was in the form of a memoriam sad to say.
My friend Robert (Bobby) Middleton your memory of what you had locked in your inner sanctum dies with you and now you have peace, my memory of you shall be vivid till I join you and this peace is shared with you Bobby my friend R.I.P.
Robert John Middleton
14/12/1936 - 13/12/2006
(A short tribute to a good man)
Bob was born in Sydney prior to the second world war. He attended Blackfriars school grades 1 & 2 then finished his education at Cleveland Street Primary and then High School.
He worked in stores and drove trucks before becoming a fireman in the NSW Fire Brigade. Bob then joined the Royal Australian Navy and served for several years until his enlistment ended. After a short period he joined the Australian Regular Army and served in Malaysia (Malaya) during the Indonesian threat to that Commonwealth Country.
A little later, Bob volunteered for duty in Vietnam, as his country was caught up in the "communist threat" at that time with the belief "better we fight them there than here". He, like many other willing volunteers soon found out the horrors of war and pervading cheapness of life that was foreign to our beliefs. Along with many of his mates there, Bob became bitter toward those among us in this country who conspired against their own troops and tried to withdraw from the loading of supplies necessary for their very means of defence and existence in the strange land their country had placed them in. Some soldiers were spat at upon their return and this caused untold feelings of confusion amongst many soldiers and quite a few did not recover from this public show of shaming. Those who still remember some of these events and were directly affected by them, understandably, still suffer from the feelings of that shock and betrayal.
It was for that reason that Bob never wore his service medals and never marched on Anzac Day.
Bob ended his working years as a night security guard at the Parliamentary Annexe in Brisbane. Even though Bob had a hard time striking up a conversation with most people at that stage of his life, he formed a close work relationship with a man who did not suffer fools lightly, Joh Bjelke-Petersen himself, who did so much for Queensland as its no nonsense Premier for many years, before he was cut down by the power brokers he had fallen out with. Bob got along quite well with him during the many late nights Joh put in there, away from his family at distant Kingaroy.
Bob had the quintessential "rough diamond" outer shell to those who didn't know him, but was natures well disguised gentleman in reality. His family knew just how compassionate he could be to someone who needed a hand and he had been seen more than once shedding a tear for a particular situation or loss of a pet. Indeed and unfortunately, some people found out what a soft touch he really was and took full advantage of that, but it never stopped Bob giving and enjoying his satisfaction from helping if he thought he could make a small difference.
Bob was declared TPI due to his army service and retired to his little "farm" at Fernvale with his wife but was apparently troubled more during his last few years and seemed to lose interest completely toward the end. He was heard a few times to say that all he wanted to do was "go to sleep".
Bob passed away in his sleep one day before his 70th birthday on the 13th of December 2006 and is survived by his 5 children and wife Jenny.
That Bob Middleton is not known to most people who may read this tribute is not as important as it is to remember that this country owes people like him a great deal for the willingness shown to defend, not only their own family, but the families of us all, at a huge risk of never seeing their loved ones or home again. Too many didn't ..........
These men are grandsons of our Anzacs.
The Vet's
They all stood tall and marched so proud
We clapped our hands and cheered them loud
As they all left to go to wars
To fight - the - fight on foreign shores
All knew that some would not return
Some families proud would sadly yearn
But as they came back sad and shocked
By savage war, their minds were rocked
The price they'd paid was not just dead
And wounded bodies, but instead
Troubled minds that racked with pain
Some men would never be the same
So as life's lessons fade away
To be relearned another day
May we remember ever yet
This three word prayer .....
"Lest we forget"
(Ted Middleton 12/2006)
"At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them."
(In the absence of Bob's mates, his brother delivered Bob's last salute)
Submitted by The Jazzman in memory of a great mate.
My mate Bobby, was born 7 days later than me his birthday is the 14th December and mine is the 7th so we had many glorious birthdays celebrated together as we were both born in 1936 in the Chinese year of the rat we reckoned it was appropriate for us so we made the best of it.
We both loved our Triumph Thunderbirds, and went riding together at the least possible excuse, work wise we went our separate ways early in the days but strange is life we both went to Vietnam, we both suffered the same embarrassing climax to the uprising as I outlined in my part 2 I went on to the Public Service He went to Queensland and bought a farm this is when we lost touch till the end of last year (2007) and by then it was in the form of a memoriam sad to say.
My friend Robert (Bobby) Middleton your memory of what you had locked in your inner sanctum dies with you and now you have peace, my memory of you shall be vivid till I join you and this peace is shared with you Bobby my friend R.I.P.
Robert John Middleton
14/12/1936 - 13/12/2006
(A short tribute to a good man)
Bob was born in Sydney prior to the second world war. He attended Blackfriars school grades 1 & 2 then finished his education at Cleveland Street Primary and then High School.
He worked in stores and drove trucks before becoming a fireman in the NSW Fire Brigade. Bob then joined the Royal Australian Navy and served for several years until his enlistment ended. After a short period he joined the Australian Regular Army and served in Malaysia (Malaya) during the Indonesian threat to that Commonwealth Country.
A little later, Bob volunteered for duty in Vietnam, as his country was caught up in the "communist threat" at that time with the belief "better we fight them there than here". He, like many other willing volunteers soon found out the horrors of war and pervading cheapness of life that was foreign to our beliefs. Along with many of his mates there, Bob became bitter toward those among us in this country who conspired against their own troops and tried to withdraw from the loading of supplies necessary for their very means of defence and existence in the strange land their country had placed them in. Some soldiers were spat at upon their return and this caused untold feelings of confusion amongst many soldiers and quite a few did not recover from this public show of shaming. Those who still remember some of these events and were directly affected by them, understandably, still suffer from the feelings of that shock and betrayal.
It was for that reason that Bob never wore his service medals and never marched on Anzac Day.
Bob ended his working years as a night security guard at the Parliamentary Annexe in Brisbane. Even though Bob had a hard time striking up a conversation with most people at that stage of his life, he formed a close work relationship with a man who did not suffer fools lightly, Joh Bjelke-Petersen himself, who did so much for Queensland as its no nonsense Premier for many years, before he was cut down by the power brokers he had fallen out with. Bob got along quite well with him during the many late nights Joh put in there, away from his family at distant Kingaroy.
Bob had the quintessential "rough diamond" outer shell to those who didn't know him, but was natures well disguised gentleman in reality. His family knew just how compassionate he could be to someone who needed a hand and he had been seen more than once shedding a tear for a particular situation or loss of a pet. Indeed and unfortunately, some people found out what a soft touch he really was and took full advantage of that, but it never stopped Bob giving and enjoying his satisfaction from helping if he thought he could make a small difference.
Bob was declared TPI due to his army service and retired to his little "farm" at Fernvale with his wife but was apparently troubled more during his last few years and seemed to lose interest completely toward the end. He was heard a few times to say that all he wanted to do was "go to sleep".
Bob passed away in his sleep one day before his 70th birthday on the 13th of December 2006 and is survived by his 5 children and wife Jenny.
That Bob Middleton is not known to most people who may read this tribute is not as important as it is to remember that this country owes people like him a great deal for the willingness shown to defend, not only their own family, but the families of us all, at a huge risk of never seeing their loved ones or home again. Too many didn't ..........
These men are grandsons of our Anzacs.
The Vet's
They all stood tall and marched so proud
We clapped our hands and cheered them loud
As they all left to go to wars
To fight - the - fight on foreign shores
All knew that some would not return
Some families proud would sadly yearn
But as they came back sad and shocked
By savage war, their minds were rocked
The price they'd paid was not just dead
And wounded bodies, but instead
Troubled minds that racked with pain
Some men would never be the same
So as life's lessons fade away
To be relearned another day
May we remember ever yet
This three word prayer .....
"Lest we forget"
(Ted Middleton 12/2006)
"At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them."
(In the absence of Bob's mates, his brother delivered Bob's last salute)
Submitted by The Jazzman in memory of a great mate.
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