CANBERRA (Australia), Aug. 22 -- Former deputy prime minister of Australia Tim Fischer died at the age of 73 from an acute form of leukaemia.

Fischer started his career as a 20-year-old conscript fighting in the jungles in Vietnam and ended in the Vatican as Australia's top diplomat.

But the Boy from Boree Creek (a tiny town near Wagga Wagga) made his greatest contribution in politics and will be remembered for the key role he played in reforming Australia's gun laws.

By the time he entered the New South Wales parliament in 1971, at the age of 24, he had already served as an officer and platoon commander in the Australian Army.

After 13 years as the member for Sturt and then Murray, he made his move to Canberra by winning the federal ...