From 1952 to 1985, the Officer Cadet School (OCS) played a significant part in the lives of many young Australians. These young men graduated to become military officers who served not only in the Australian Defence Force but also in many overseas armies.
This section is about the connections OCS has within the Defence communities as well as the local community on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. The military connections are clearly defined whereas the local community involvement is less widely known. Local service clubs and individuals played a key role in supporting both Australian and overseas cadets during their time at Portsea.
Snapshots of these areas are provided for:
- Army Apprentices School
- Royal Military College, Duntroon
- Royal Australian Air Force
- Scheyville Wing OCS
- New Zealand
- Other overseas armies
- Local communities
Many of the features and roads within the current National Park have names that relate to the era prior to OCS and during OCS occupation. These Topographical Notes provide some information on the background.
There are also stories of the different areas where our graduates worked during their careers. Many such areas are well known and documented. Other areas are a little less well know. Involvement in scientific expeditions, disaster response and management, and support to other nations under a range of aid programs are some examples.
Some of the stories documented are:
- Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE)
- United Nations – This will be a series of short stories on graduate’s experience.
- Overseas Operations – This document summarises operational deployments that involved Australian Army graduates.
The final story in the sequence of history is the transition of OCS from Portsea to the Royal Military College, Duntroon. This story is told here.
What happened after graduation is always interesting. Here is a snapshot of those who reached high ranks in their defence organisations. We may not have covered all overseas graduates and are happy to update as we are provided with information.
If you have a story that you would like to include, especially for those areas shown above, please email them to the webmaster – webmaster@ocsportsea.org