Geoffrey John Coombs was born in Smithton Tasmania on December 25 1945. He was the eldest of six children, to Marie and Harry Coombes. At the age of 21, Coombes enlisted for the Australian Army, where he joined the 3 Troop 1st Field Squadron and headed off to defend his country and allies in Vietnam. Coombs was deployed as an Engineer, otherwise known exclusively as a ‘Tunnel Rat’. 

Read more about the Coombs family and their legacy in the Chronicle, June 22 edition.