What are the origins and history of the Australia Defence Association?
The ADA was founded in Perth in mid 1975 by three World War II veterans: Air Marshal Sir Valston Hancock, KBE, CB, DFC, who had ended up commanding the RAAF from May 1961 to May 1965; Jim Harding, a leading Western Australian trade unionist and civil libertarian; and Peter Firkins, the director of the Perth Chamber of Commerce and a well-known military historian. Colonel Lawrie Clark, MC, a former commanding officer of the Special Air Service Regiment and a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, joined soon afterwards and was the foundation president in both Western Australia and subsequently the national body. The distinguished defence and foreign correspondent (and World War II veteran), Denis Warner, CMG, OBE, and World War II, Korea and Vietnam veteran (and noted artist), Commodore Dacre Smyth, AO, RAN, became patrons soon after. Our founders were from otherwise disparate backgrounds, interests and political inclinations, and had met through their common membership of the Royal Un
