BALLARAT RANGER MILITARY MUSEUM

ABOUT US

Musem outside view 2

 

The Ballarat Ranger Military Museum is run by a small band of dedicated volunteers who wish to preserve the military heritage of Ballarat and District and the history of the Volunteers/Militia/Citizens Military Forces/Army Reserve members who have trained with the units that form the history of the current Ballarat Army Reserve unit the 8th/7th Battalion, The Royal Victoria Regiment. 

 

Museum Manager

Major Neil Leckie, RFD (Ret'd), commenced his military service in 1968 as a National Serviceman at the 2nd Recruit Training Battalion at Puckapunyal, followed by officer training at the Officer Training Unit at Scheyville, NSW. Commissioned into the Infantry Corps, he saw more than 30 years of service with the Corps. Neil is an avid military historian with publications to his credit including The Bushmen’s Rifles, a History of 22 RVR (1999), Country Victoria’s Own, the history of the 8th/7th Battalion (2008) and Creswick's War, a History of 18 Company, Australian Army Service Corps (WW1) (2019). Neil served 10 years as the Executive Officer of 8/7 RVR and Museum Manager before retiring in 2011. After retirement he maintained the position of Manager of the Ballarat Ranger Military Museum.

 

 NeilLeckie

Curator/Treasurer

Major Bill Akell CSM joined the Regular Army in 1964 and as a member of D Company 6 RAR fought in the 1966 Battle of Long Tan in the Vietnam War where he was Mentioned in Dispatches. Bill rose through the ranks within the Infantry Corps and eventually accepted a commission. Bill retired from the Army, with the rank of Major,  having served in infantry units 2 RAR, 3 RAR, 6 RAR, the SAS and 8/7 RVR where he ended his career in 2000 as the Battalion Second-in-Command.  Bill also served in a number of non-infantry corps postings and had served in Singapore and Cambodia and undertaken military tours in England and France.

Bill was the original Curator of the Ranger Museum when the museum opened in the old Ranger Barracks in Curtis Street, Ballarat, (now Dan Murphy's) in 1989. 

Membership Officer

Lee Carrigg

Newsletter Editor (now a part of the 8/7 Bn - 2 RVR Association newsletter)

Neil Leckie  

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