PROMINENT journalist Leigh Sales has remembered her soldier father as “an awesome powerhouse of a person”.
The ABC anchor shared the news of her father Dale’s death in an emotional tribute on Twitter on Monday.
“A week ago today, my father died suddenly,” she wrote.
“I never met anyone remotely like him and I’m certain I never will again.
“He was the hardest working man I ever saw, a magical grandfather and a teller (and source) of hilarious stories. He was an awesome powerhouse of a person.”
Sales posted the tweet with a photo of a letter from Australia’s Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and a pair of her dad’s boots.
Sir Peter said Dale was the ‘Regimental Sergeant Major of 1st Division’ with him in 1999 and 2000 when they were deployed to East Timor.
“Although we had met occasionally before that, we had not worked together before,” he wrote.
He said Dale “raised the bar to mighty heights” and they became friends and confidants.
“In 1999 when we were preparing for a potential deployment to East Timor, he was a key driver, explainer, facilitator and negotiator — irresistible, irreplaceable,” he said.
“He was magnificent — tireless, cheerful, wise and reliable.
“I was able to discern trends and avoid problems before they occurred, because of Dale.
“He was such a fine soldier. The army has lost one of its great warriors.”
Sir Peter said, as always happens, they moved to new jobs and lost touch — but they never lost regard for one another.
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