A World War II soldier’s army service book that was found during the search of a home at Nimbin will soon be in the hands of his descendants.
Police from the Richmond Local Area Command published photos of the service book on 27 October with an appeal to the public to help find the family of Richard Slee.
Deirdre Kinghorn of Orange took up the challenge and began investigating the mystery.
After some research she found out Richard Slee had reached the rank of Lieutenant in the 7th Division of the Australian Army and served from 1939 to 1948.
He married Gwendoline Meleng and lived in Boothby South Australia. They had two children and he developed an interest in horse racing. Richard died in 1957.
Deidre’s research led to a living descendant; a Doctor in Balmain NSW.
The mystery of how the service book ended up in Nimbin has not been explained.
Police said the service book would be forwarded to Mr Slee’s descendent shortly.
‘Richard’s descendants and Richmond LAC are very appreciative of Deidre’s sleuthing skills,’ police said.
