HALF A CENTURY
of
SERVICE
T
HE Australian Army passed a
signifi cant milestone on January 2.
That was the fi rst day in more than 50 years
it carried out business without 8244950 MAJ
Mervyn Kenneth Dicton on its lists.
Merv, 68, the aff able Defence Relocations and
Housing Manager for Defence in North Queensland,
and, more importantly, a recipient of two Federation
Stars for long service, will also “pull the pin” on
his Public Service career at the end of this year.
Quietly spoken (“although I can turn on my
major’s voice if I have to”), and well-respected, he
has walked a kind of tightrope between troops
and the companies providing housing and rental
assistance and relocation and removal services.
He sees the role as “the glue” that binds the whole
system together... but it’s a slightly biased glue.
“I am an advocate for Members, and I step in
to resolve disputes for them,” Merv said.
“But, much as I might like to, I can’t
advocate for something to which they’re not
entitled, or that the evidence supports.”
He’s been in that role for 16 years, and even
after all that time, he regularly comes across
something he has never before experienced.
One of those unique experiences was his involvement
in relocating entire units and their families - fi rstly
3RAR from Holsworthy, Sydney to Lavarack Barracks,
Townsville and later, 2Cav Regt from Darwin.
“I went down [to Sydney] with COMD 3Bde BRIG
Stu Smith and the manager of DHA and we gave
the 3RAR people a series of briefs,” he said.
A child of the West, Merv grew up in “Freo”
where people were in one of two camps - those
who supported the East Fremantle AFL team,
or those who supported South Fremantle.
Merv was ambivalent about his loyalties and half a
century later, and a continent apart from his childhood,
probably appreciates rugby more than AFL.
MAJ Merv and Anne Dicton after the ceremony in which
Merv was presented with a Federation Star
APRIL
A P RIL 2017 | 41