Commando News Spring17

VALE Dr Jim Wood, RFD, ED, Colonel (Rtd)
(extract of eulogy by Derek Wood)
My father, James Wood, was born in Neutral Bay,
on 31 January 1937. His parents later moved to the
Suther land Shire in Sydney where he was one of the
first children to be enrolled in the one-room school at
Woronora River. For a few months the family lived in a
tent in a bush camp, before moving to the Herne Bay
Housing Settlement.
After completing his Intermediate Certificate at
Sutherland Intermediate High School, Dad worked at
the NSW Electricity Commission as a clerk. Soon after
he enrolled as an evening student at St George
Technical College, Kogarah, where he completed his
Leaving Certificate.
It was in 1956 that Dad enlisted in 1 Commando
Company where he trained hard and was later
awarded his green beret. He was fortunate to strike up
a lifelong friendship with Company Sergeant-Major
Ken Curran OAM, the unarmed combat instructor,
some years his senior. Dad always looked up to Ken as
an inspiring example of honesty, discipline, hard work
and fairness. In his memoirs, Dad wrote about the day
of his wedding when…
Ken Curran and Tex Groves came directly from a
bivouac and the solemnity of the wedding break -
fast was somewhat unsettled for me when Ken
Curran leaned forward in order that I might see
that tucked into his Battledress jacket were two
thunder flashes. Both were later detonated as
Colleen and I drove away from the Church, Ken
having in the meantime attached them to a long
piece of string tied to our car and initiated at the
appropriate moment to the amazement of the
wedding guests.
Dad completed his parachuting course in 1957. He
was commissioned as an officer in 1961, promoted to
Captain in 1964, to Lieutenant Colonel in 1978 and to
Colonel in 1987. He retired from the Army Reserve on
age in 1992 after 37 years of service.
Dad's brothers, Peter and Mike, also served at 1
Commando Company and I served at 2 Commando
Company.
In the days when teachers were in short supply,
Dad gained a scholarship to Sydney Teachers’ College
and at the same time studied as an evening student at
the University of Sydney for a Bachelor of Arts degree.
He taught as a secondary teacher at Cleveland Street
and Mona Vale High Schools for a number of years.
Over the period 1967-1984, Dad held a range of
civilian appointments with the Departments of
Defence and Foreign Affairs, and with the intelligence
com munity. He had postings in Canberra, Melbourne,
at the Australian Embassy in Djakarta, also
Headquarters British Forces in Hong Kong, and the
Australian Embassy in Tokyo.
In 1971 he completed a Bachelor of Education at
Monash University. Whilst living in Hong Kong he
served part-time with The Volunteers, and completed
a Master of Arts in Comparative Asian Studies at
Hong Kong University. He gained his PhD at Deakin
University in 1986 on the subject of ‘Australian
Defence Policy 1945-1949’. In the same year he was
awarded a Defence Fellowship, also spent a year on
full time duty, visiting the US and Europe. He wrote
‘Mobilisation: An Outline Record of its Origin and
Development in Respect of Land Forces.’
34 COMMANDO NEWS ~ Edition 11 I September 2017