Bruce Carlyle Ruxton,
AM,
OBE (6 February 192623 December 2011) was an Australian ex-serviceman and President of the Victorian
Returned and Services League
The Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) is a support organisation for people who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force.
Mission
The RSL's mission is to ensure that programs are in place for the well-being, care ...
from 1979 to 2002.
Early life
Ruxton grew up in
Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
, Victoria. He attended
Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1905, the school caters for boys from Year 9 t ...
.
War service
Ruxton served in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in the
South West Pacific Area
South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific War. SWPA included the Philippines, Borneo, the ...
. He enlisted in the
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...
on 21 February 1944, listing his civilian occupation as "pupil land surveyor". He was allocated the service number VX94379. In late 1944, he was posted to the
Royal Australian Engineers
The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is the military engineering corps of the Australian Army (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge). The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, b ...
, serving for two months with the 2nd Australian Field Survey Company in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
before then joining the 2/1st Australian Topographical Survey Company in December 1944. He sailed to
Morotai
Morotai Island ( id, Pulau Morotai) is an island in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is one of Indonesia's northernmost islands.
Morotai is a rugged, forested island lying to the north of Halmahera. It ha ...
with this unit in April 1945. In June 1945, Private Ruxton was posted to the
2/25th Australian Infantry Battalion and served both as a rifleman and in the battalion's intelligence section in the
Battle of Balikpapan (1945)
The Battle of Balikpapan was the concluding stage of Operation Oboe, the campaign to liberate Japanese-held British and Dutch Borneo. The landings took place on 1 July 1945. The Australian 7th Division, composed of the 18th, 21st and 25th Inf ...
in
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
.
After the war ended, Ruxton volunteered to serve in Japan with the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the British Commonwealth taskforce consisting of Australian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952.
At its peak, t ...
. He was posted to the 65th Infantry Battalion, part of the
34th Australian Infantry Brigade, and was deployed to Japan in early 1946. In late 1947, Ruxton attended the British Commonwealth Occupation Force School of Cookery and qualified as an army cook, after which he was transferred to the
Australian Army Catering Corps
The Australian Army Catering Corps (AACC) is the corps within the Australian Army that is responsible for preparing and serving of meals. The corps was established on 12 March 1943.
See also
* Combat Ration One Man
* Field ration
* Field Ra ...
. He served in Japan until December 1948 when he returned to Australia. He was discharged from the Army on 13 January 1949.
Representing the war veterans
After his war service, he became a spokesman on behalf of war veterans and their families, ensuring they received their pensions and entitlements. As the Second World War veterans grew older, he lobbied on their behalf regarding issues such as nursing homes and retirement accommodation.
He lived in the Melbourne bayside suburb of
Beaumaris
Beaumaris ( ; cy, Biwmares ) is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town of Anglesey. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from th ...
.
Following two years of ill-health due to viral
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
contracted during a visit to Boer War sites, Ruxton resigned as President of the Victorian
RSL in June 2002.
Advocacy
Along with RSL National President, Brigadier
Alf Garland
Brigadier Alfred Barrett Garland, AM (19 March 1932 – 9 March 2002) was an Australian Army officer, and National President of the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) from 1988 to 1993. Garland had a distinguished military career, an ...
, Ruxton was an opponent of the
Multifunction Polis
The Multifunction Polis (MFP) was a controversial scheme for a planned community in Australia proposed in 1987 and abandoned in 1998. From the Greek word "polis", meaning "city", it was imagined as a place where work and leisure, lifetime edu ...
(MFP), a Japanese funded technology city proposed in 1987 for the north of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
. Ruxton said it would become "a Jap city".
[
]
He opposed any association with homosexuals in the armed forces and in official memorial services. While president of the Victorian RSL, during the Anzac Day March in 1982, he stood in the path of members of the Gay Ex-servicemen's Association to prevent them from laying a wreath at the Shrine of Remembrance. When interviewed he stated “We didn’t want them to lay a wreath because we didn’t want them—and they are just another start to the denigration of Anzac Day,” and "I don't remember a single poofter from World War II."
In 1980 Ruxton criticised the
Northcote City Council in Victoria, after left-wing Councillors supported a number of policies that were anathema to those traditionally held by the RSL. These included the flying of the
Eureka flag
The Eureka Flag was flown at the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, which took place on 3 December 1854 at Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. It was the culmination of the 1851–1854 Eureka Rebellion on the Victorian goldfields, where miners prote ...
rather than the Australian flag from the Northcote Town Hall, and support for an
Australian republic. Ruxton claimed 'ethnics and anti-British elements' were responsible for a lack of patriotism. Ruxton was also incensed at the refusal of Scottish-born Councillor Brian Sanaghan to renew his
oath of allegiance to
the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
after being re-elected to the Northcote Council in 1980. Pressure from Ruxton resulted in Sanaghan's place on the Council being declared vacant.
Ruxton's referred to the Anglican Bishop
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...
as a "witch doctor" during Tutu's visit to Victoria in 1986, an outburst he later acknowledged he regretted.
Ruxton was an opponent of Asian immigration.
In the
1998 Constitutional Convention for the Republic he represented
monarchist
Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...
group
Safeguard the People. On 31 January 1992, Ruxton stated that the RSL and its membership: "will never agree to this country becoming a republic. We are proud to be associated with the Queen, who is our patron, and who, as this country's head of State, has never once put a foot wrong. Show me a politician with such a record." Ruxton consistently argued that the Australian flag and the Queen, as the Australian head of state, guarantee that Australia will remain a free democracy, and that a republican form of government in Australia could become totalitarian.
In 1991, Ruxton appeared on the
Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
's ''
Midday
Noon (or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for meridiem, literally 12:00 noon), 12 p.m. (for post meridiem, literally "after noon"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour clock) or 1200 (military time).
Solar ...
'' television show with host
Ray Martin, to advocate Australia remaining a
monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...
, in a live televised debate with singer
Normie Rowe
Norman John Rowe (born 1 February 1947) is an Australian singer and songwriter of pop music and an actor of theatre and soap opera for which he remains best known as Douglas Fletcher in 1980s serial '' Sons and Daughters''. As a singer he was ...
and radio broadcaster
Ron Casey. The debate got out of hand, with Normie Rowe and Ron Casey physically brawling on live TV. The following day, Ruxton said: "As for Ron Casey, he deserved a good punch in the nose. He certainly did not do his cause any good. We have enough problems to fix up without arguing and fighting over whether Australia should become a republic,"
In 1998, Ruxton wrote a letter to
Shock Records regarding the
TISM
TISM (an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist Eu ...
single "
I Might Be a Cunt, but I'm Not a Fucking Cunt". In it, he referred to the single "dropping (Australia)'s standards into the proverbial sewer".
Popular culture
A character originally from
Australia You're Standing In It
''Australia You're Standing In It'' is an Australian sketch comedy series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, first screened in September 1983 with a second series screened in September 1984. In honour of the 30th Anniversary of ...
(and later in
Fast Forward
To fast-forward is to move forwards through a recording at a speed faster than that at which it would usually be played, for example two times or two point five times. The recordings are usually audio, video or computer data. It is colloquially ...
), Bruce Rump, was based on him. Bruce Rump would rant in a voice similar to Ruxton's, sometimes reaching a violent frenzy and ending with the
non-sequitur "... and that's why we should keep the bloody
flag
A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...
the same!" The send ups of Bruce Rump would often also be send ups of long running Australian children's TV series
Romper Room
''Romper Room'' is an American children's television series that was franchised and syndicated from 1953 to 1994. The program targeted preschoolers (children five years of age or younger), and was created and produced by Bert Claster and his p ...
, referred to as "Rumper Room".
Ruxton made fun of himself by releasing a rap single, in which he lampooned his own persona. A song by Melbourne
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
band
Res-Heads was named after Ruxton.
Honours
In 1975 he was appointed a Member of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(MBE), an Officer of the Order (OBE) in 1981, and a Member of the
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
(AM) in 1996. In 1997 he was appointed a
Chevalier of the Order of Merit by
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...
. He was also appointed a
Chevalier of the Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
.
Death
He died on 23 December 2011, following the development of
dementia
Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
. He was 85. His funeral service included a
Masonic
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to Fraternity, fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of Stonemasonry, stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their inte ...
tribute as well as full
RSL honours.
References
External links
Bruce Ruxton Rap Single from 1992
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruxton, Bruce
1926 births
2011 deaths
Activists from Melbourne
Anti-Asian sentiment in Oceania
Anti-Asian sentiment in Australia
Australian military personnel of World War II
Australian monarchists
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite
Delegates to the Australian Constitutional Convention 1998
Members of the Order of Australia
Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People educated at Melbourne High School
People from Kew, Victoria