Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly, I acknowledge the very fine words from the member for Riverina. I wouldn't expect anything else, given that the fine member was the defence personnel and veterans' affairs minister for some time and also had Kapooka as his garrison town—a place I have fond memories of. I expect nothing less; thank you for those fine words.

I too rise to pay my respects to the late Thomas Page Pritchard, the last living Rat of Tobruk, and I thank him for his service. I acknowledge all current and former Australian personnel as well; thank you for your service. I extend my deepest sympathies to his family in their time of bereavement.

Tom's passing on 3 August 2024 marks the physical end of one of the most distinguished groups of servicemen in our national history. The Rats of Tobruk, their name an iconic embrace of insults hurled by the Nazi propagandists during the Second World War, symbolise the very essence of the Australian spirit, bringing to the world through their actions an unbreakable resilience in the face of the toughest of conditions but immersed in our unique humour; they could only be Australians.

Tom's own story is typical of the Rats. He enlisted underage, like many young Australians at the outbreak of conflict across the world, to serve with a distinction and honour reserved for the most experienced of men but complete with a wicked sense of humour and sense of wit; that is echoing just some of the testaments of those who served and lived with Tom. He lived a remarkable life, like all Australians and our allies who fought in Tobruk for the betterment of our nation both then and now. Tom was also an incredibly modest person and did not want a fuss to be made about him being the last living Rat of Tobruk. In paying my respects to him and expressing my condolences to his loved ones, I respect those wishes and leave his personal story there.

Regarding the Rats of Tobruk: their collective story warrants significant respect and commemoration, and I will pay tribute to them as a whole. Tom and the 14,000 Australian brothers in arms, alongside thousands of their allied comrades, would defend the port city of Tobruk for over seven months. With backs to the ocean—although their wit would remain as dry as the deserts of Libya—this garrison would deny and defy the Nazi war machine that was besieging them, despite extreme external pressure and a significant lack of supply. This garrison would suffer nearly 4,000 casualties, most of whom were Australian. The Australian War Memorial states that 832 Australians from the 9th Division were killed during the siege.

The Rats of Tobruk are extraordinary, having given their lives to bear the toughest of conditions in the interest of our nation to serve as a significant part in the defence of democracy and freedom against the very real danger of dictatorship and tyranny. It's important to remember not just the sacrifice of the Rats but that these were just everyday Australians doing incredible things—everyday Australians like my great-uncle, Lyle Sidney Taylor, another Rat of Tobruk, who passed in 1972 before I was born. I remember my father speaking of his service with immense pride on a regular basis. You can find Lyle's name on the roll of honour in the Curlwaa Memorial Hall, ensuring his service is recognised through generations, alongside dozens of others who served from 1939 to 1945. It is important he is remembered like all the Rats of Tobruk, like all serving men and women throughout history, and collectively we do so. We do so in memorials like that on Anzac Parade, just over the way here in Canberra, and the tributes along the Northern Expressway in Adelaide, and in ceremonies on Anzac Day and on anniversaries commemorating fateful days where Australians would take up arms, and in our schools as we learn the national story as children.

We do this because the sacrifice of our service men and women from across our nation, wherever they may have been in the world in the past, helps give context to our values, our culture and the present; and because their experiences in serving our country have helped to forge the traits and qualities that we pride ourselves on today: things like Australian mateship and humour, Australian resilience and the unbreakable spirit of our people. In remembering our service men and women, and recognising the conscious decision an Aussie makes to commit themselves to defend our way of life, Australia traces a thread upon which the nation was spun and continues that story into the future.

The Rats of Tobruk, in the words they have written in the Australian story, likewise left an inspiring and enduring page in that book, underscoring by their actions the courage, comradeship and sheer determination of the Australian people, lighting the torch that Australians today will continue to pass on for generations to come. So while Tom Pritchard's passing is a significant loss for Australia, his life and the lives of the Rats of Tobruk will live on for as long as the Australian spirit itself. Thank you, Thomas Page Prichard, for your service. Rest in peace.

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