 In civilian life he returned to his work as a distinguished architect where his work with the National Capital Development Commission made a significant contribution to the development of Canberra.He was awarded the RAIA Gold Medal in 1982 and played an important part in the development and oversight of the construction of the new Parliament House.The first and longest Commandant of the OTU at Scheyville was Brigadier Ian Geddes, a soldier with a long and distinguished record of active service during WWII both in Europe and Asia, during the Malayan Emergency and finally in Vietnam.