Born – 8th June 1945 to Wilfred Garnet (Bill) Hope and Bessie Veronica (Beth) Hope.
Educated at St. Virgil’s College Hobart as a boarder and day student.
First employment the Mercury Newspaper Hobart in accounting.
1965 national service call up in September.Service No 6708308 basic training at Puckapunyal in Victoria posted to school of Military Engineering in Sydney then to 32 Small Ship Sqn. on Sydney Harbour.
A number of voyages were made up the East Coast of Australia before I was posted as a crew member on the landing ship, a 1000 ton flat bottom landing ship.
On 11th April 1966 departed Sydney Harbour on Vernon Sturdee for Vietnam.
Sailed up the East Coast of Australia then across the Coral Sea to New Guinea and then Manus Island for refuel. Departed Manus Island on 22nd April up through the Phillipines to Subic Bay, the base of th U.S. Navy 7th Fleet at that time. Departed Subic Bay on 1st May arriving in Vung Tau Vietnam on 5th May 1966.
During our time in Vietnam we ferried men, equipment and machinery of all categories up and down the Saigon River and around the Mekong Delta. My action station was on a socal. machine gun mounted on the stern of the Vernon Sturdee. We arrived back in Sydney on 27th July 1966 via Singapore, New Guinea (Rabaul) Townsville. Upon arrival in Sydney and after a short break back in Tasmania I completed a Clerk Technical course and was promoted to Lance Corporal. I did a couple of trips on the army coastal ship John Monash as ship’s clerk before being requested to take a clerk’s position at HQ at Woolwich to assist the Commanding Officer Col. Wilson. At that point I was promoted to Corporal and did not go back to sea.
In the last few months of my service I married my dear late wife Margaret and continued to work in the CO’s office at Woolwich.
Following my discharge from the army in September 1967 I returned to work at the Mercury Newspaper in Hobart, continuing with my accounting studies. I was not happy with my employment at that time and after a short time I joined Lombard Finance in Hobart.
My career was enjoyable from then on in finance and banking. Lombard was re-named Natwest Finance and Natwest Bank ( National Westminister Bank U.K.) I was very happy in my endeavours with the bank, achieving the following positions: State Manager Tasmania, State Manager Western Australia, State Manager Commercial N.S.W. (for a short period) State Manager South Australia/ Tasmania. Natwest closed Australian operations in 1992 – very sad.
After a 6 month break from work Margaret and I purchased a Sports Store in Adelaide and started a second store in another shopping centre later. We enjoyed this as did our two daughters who worked with us. Regretably in 1994 I had a break down as PTSD got hold of me due to my Vietnam experience. I spent a lot of time in rehab. and was eventually diagnosed and declared T.P.I..
We sold our business and moved to Goolwa at the mouth of the Murray River where I still reside in this beautiful town. Marg passed away 3rd October 2018, my dear wife after 52 years.
I am now 75+ years, blind in my right eye and have limited sight in my left eye, do not drive but apart from that I am doing OK.
Greg Hope, October 2020
