Interesting article in last weekend Australian about Rod Allan and others’ proximity to the infamous occasion in Australian political life, otherwise known as ‘The Dismissal’.
The 50th anniversary is coming up in November – read about it here and a clearer text version here.
RMC Class of 1972 
Comment from Kym McMillan:
As a footnote to Rod’s story, I was on the ADC Selection Panel exactly 1 year later (with Gerry Warner who got the gig!). The GG made quite a bit of the fact that it was the first anniversary of the Dismissal, and asked if we knew the story of Fraser being asked to wait in the ante-room with the 3 Army captains (including Rod) while he sacked Whitlam.
He then directed us to wait in that same room and summoned Fraser for a meeting, but made him wait with us. Kerr said he wanted to see if Fraser would recognise the significance of the date and the presence again of three Army Captains – perhaps indicating another sacking! I think it was just his strange sense of humour. My recollection is that it was totally lost on Fraser who largely ignored us while he waited.
Kym
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(continuing on) a small film crew led by Norman Gunsten that were doing a documentary at Parliament House.
I witnessed the whole sacking first hand and was just out of the camera when Whitlam spoke on the steps next to David Smith, the Secretary to the Governor General. I later spoke to Scaly Ailey about his experiences at Government House and we compared notes.
The next day I travelled to Sydney, where half the taxis are driven by ex-company directors. They had all read the Telegraph and were instant experts on what had occurred. However, they had totally distorted views because of what they had read from the Telegraph, their only source.
Cheers, from Jab in Rockingham, WA.
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At that time I was at RMC doing a MA(Hons)degree. I heard on the radio that something was a foot. I jumped in my old Valiant and drove straight out to Parliament House. The only ones there before me were
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