With 13 other new officers, he was posted in March 1949 to 67 Infantry Battalion, The Australian Regiment, then in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, Japan.

In 1957–58, he served in the United Kingdom with the Royal Marine Commandos and saw duty in Malta, and operational service in Cyprus.

[4] During his period as governor, Bennett was called on to be the adjudicator of a sensitive constitutional problem following the inconclusive Tasmanian state election in 1989.

The Liberal Government of Premier Robin Gray had suffered a two-seat swing, leaving it one seat short of a majority.

The opposition Labor Party led by Michael Field then garnered the support of the five Green members of the House of Assembly for a minority government in what was known as the Labor-Green Accord.

After retiring from the governorship, Bennett served as inaugural Chairman of the Australian War Memorial Foundation.

He was awarded an Honorary LLD (NSW) in October 1995 for his contribution to military education and the Australian Defence Force Academy.

He was made a Knight of St John in 1988[13] and awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by the University of Tasmania in 1992.