Anzac spirit lives on in challenging times
Attending a dawn service from the comfort of our own home is a new experience for many, but it’s a vital gesture in these difficult times to commemorate those who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
Fully endorsing this sentiment is former RAAF pilot and UQ graduate Dr Peter Clem (Bachelor of Science ’87, Postgraduate Diploma in Science ’99, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery ’03), who is currently working as a civilian medical officer at RAAF Base Amberley.
“Anzac Day will always be important to me; whether it is important to others I can’t say,” Dr Clem said.
“My father’s uncle was a third-generation Australian and his grandparents were German immigrants who helped build Queensland. In today’s language, they might be described as ‘boat people’.
“Uncle Eric was an Anzac. His war ended when he was wounded at Pozières, France, fighting the Germans during the battle of the Somme. The family history is that Uncle Eric had to walk himself from the field to the hospital, holding himself together. On Anzac Day, I remember his service to his country. Every day I remember the example he set for us.
Watch the video of UQ's Anzac Day tribute to fallen Australian and New Zealand soldiers.
“I know that there are a great many things more important – and more enduring – than our own lives. That’s what Anzac Day means to me.”
Anzac Day, on 25 April, is one of the country’s most important occasions, marking the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during World War I.
Traditionally, the day is celebrated with a dawn service – acknowledging one of the military’s favoured times for launching an attack – followed by veterans’ marches, wreath-laying ceremonies, hymns and national anthems, the sounding of The Last Post and observance of a minute’s silence.
“We are engaged in a type of warfare with this plague. If we are to win, we must be well-led, determined, committed, united, intelligent and agile. We must maximise our natural advantages and modify the conflict to suit our strengths."
With the COVID-19 pandemic’s social distancing requirements, many of these activities will be cancelled this year. However, an official service will be telecast from the Australian War Memorial, and other commemorative activities will be screened throughout the day. With mass gatherings banned and all overseas services cancelled, we will have to come together in spirit, instead of in person.
“I will miss the service. It is an important tradition for us,” Dr Clem said.
“But ultimately, it’s what we feel in our own hearts that is important on this day and remembrance doesn’t require a congregation. I am a pragmatist and the priority must be to protect the vulnerable, whatever it takes.
“We are engaged in a type of warfare with this plague. If we are to win, we must be well-led, determined, committed, united, intelligent and agile. We must maximise our natural advantages and modify the conflict to suit our strengths.
“I believe that this is what Australia is achieving so far, and in so doing the people of Australia and their leaders are displaying the same virtues that made the AIF Divisions of 1918 the pride of Australia and the envy of the world.
“I believe that this Anzac Day, Australians can remember past sacrifice and take consolation that this generation can endure this adversity, remain united, act decisively with courage, and also be the envy of the world.”
UQ graduate Dr Peter Clem.
UQ graduate Dr Peter Clem.
Having spent 10 years as a pilot with the RAAF, flying missions to Papua New Guinea, South East Asia and the United States, Dr Clem is well qualified to speak about courage and determination, particularly as his career has not followed the ‘traditional’ path.
“I had always been interested in aviation and medicine but could not decide between them so, after finishing high school, I studied science at UQ,” he said.
“I was intending to have a gap year in London after completing my degree but applied to the Australian Air Force before departing, expecting that the process would take at least a year. As it turned out, before I could go, I got a letter saying I had to be in Point Cook in four weeks’ time, so my life changed pretty much instantly.
“Throughout my time in the RAAF, which was both challenging and exciting, I was still interested in medicine and studied several courses at the Australian Institute of Aviation Medicine. So, when my service obligation was completed in 1997, I resolved to take up a contract with British Aerospace in Saudi Arabia as a flying instructor to finance my return home and pursue a medical career.”
Then followed a Postgraduate Diploma in Science (Microbiology) and the graduate MBBS program at UQ, before working as a GP in several clinics in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast and attaining RACGP fellowship.
UQ graduate Dr Peter Clem.
However, as they say, “you can take the boy out of the air force, but you can’t take the air force out of the boy."
“I had always maintained a special interest in aviation medicine and, after completing postgraduate studies at the University of Otago, I became a Designated Medical Examiner for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) while working as a GP. I also joined the Australian Society of Aerospace Medicine,” Dr Clem said.
“I then became an Aviation Medical Training Officer training RAAF Reserves and went on to work for CASA in senior medical officer roles. I also had stints as a contract medical officer with the Australian Defence Force.”
With his ‘high-flying’ career now more solidly based at Amberley, Dr Clem enjoys a new work/life balance thanks to wife Rachael (Bachelor of Science (Honours) ’00, Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours) ’07) and their young family, William, Sophia and Sarah.
All will be privately commemorating Anzac Day, in line with the latest health advice.
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