- the RSL

VOLUME 81 | OCTOBER 2015
Prime Minister Ben Chifley, 15 August 1945
E
LE A
GU
D
D
“ Let us remember those whose lives were given
that we may enjoy this glorious moment ”
R NE
R NE
RSL SOUTH AUSTRALIA | NORTHERN TERRITORY | BROKEN HILL
TU
TU
& S ERVIC E S
AFF
I L I AT E
RE
RE
THE SIGNAL
RSL CARE SA PROVIDES A R ANGE OF
CARE FACILITIES AND SUPPORT SERVICES
FOR ALL SOUTH AUSTR ALIANS
In our residential aged care facilities, dedicated and skilled staff are on hand around the clock to meet
the various needs of our residents. Assistance is provided to meet residents’ individual needs with
daily living activities.
Residential care is offered as either permanent, or short-term care also known as residential respite.
Personalised care plans are created for each resident, including those requiring memory support and
related symptoms. If required, additional support services are provided by health professionals such
as physiotherapists, podiatrists and, where appropriate, palliative care.
Retaining residents’ independence through mental stimulation is key to our approach to providing
holistic, individualised care. And so, creative recreational activities are an important part of daily life.
RSL Care SA has residential aged care facilities in Myrtle Bank and Angle Park. Independent retirement
living options are also available at our Myrtle Bank, Marion and Glengowrie Retirement Villages.
If you would like more information regarding residential aged care or to be placed on our waiting
list, please call our admissions team on 08 8379 2600, visit our website or visit the Australian
Government My Aged Care website www.myagedcare.gov.au
RSL Villas
18 Trafford Street, Angle Park SA 5010
War Veterans’ Home
55 Ferguson Avenue, Myrtle Bank SA 5064
Telephone 08 8379 2600 www.rslcaresa.com.au
Inside Issue 81
THE SIGNAL
Editor’s Message 3
A cheque in the mailbag
Messages from HQ
4
Cover Story
6
State Conference
8
“Dear Sir/Madam,” the letter began. “Please find enclosed a cheque for $106.50
for the Poppy Appeal. As a school, we raised this money by selling our 100th
anniversary ANZAC photo.”
Defence Bulletin
10
Vietnam vets and showbiz vets rock
12
Aboriginal digger remembered 14
Obituary16
Violet Verses under the night sky
17
Film finds another ‘one day of the year’ 18
Cake, collection, dance on
Edinburgh diary
19
Round-Up20
Daronmont dogs sponsorship
22
RSL Family News
24
Entitlements26
RSL Bookshelf
28
The Last Post
30
RSL South Australia, Northern Territory and
Broken Hill thanks these corporate sponsors
for their support:
That letter to RSL headquarters in Adelaide came from Wynn Vale School –
and here‘s the photo (below). It’s through thoughtfulness and inventiveness of
this nature that the spirit of our appeals (indeed, the spirit of the RSL itself )
continues to thrive. We acknowledge Wynn Vale’s generosity of soul.
Our theme in this issue of The Signal is one of family and remembrance
combined. It is found in a broad spectrum of endeavours, ranging from school
and sub-branch based fundraising, to the football medal struck in honour of
an Aboriginal digger, to a Maltese pilgrimage in honour of a Gallipoli veteran,
and onwards to our commemorative service marking the 70th anniversary of
Victory in the Pacific.
It is a privilege to report
the initiative and the
values of all concerned.
Nigel Starck
Editor The Signal
“Can you help?” – asks archivist Kathleen
An RSL centenary message from Kathleen Bambridge (see below, holding
membership and appeal badges from times past):
The RSL will turn 100 in December. I’ve been archiving our records for
three years now. It appears that, other than the magazines published between
1917 and 1924, we hold very little pre-1945 information. If you have any
photographs or any closed branches’ records books, or anything else that relates
to the RSL, could you take the time to drop them off, post or scan and email
them to us so we can build a more informed history?
This is what we’d love to receive:
• Photographs and newspaper clippings of RSL
activities – dedications, dances, reunions,
working bees, sports days.
• Lists of office bearers from 1918 to 1944.
• Memorabilia such as trophies, pendants, gifts
from other sub-branches or visitors, ashtrays,
beer mats, or your stories of the RSL.
• Women’s Auxiliary records and photographs.
Our sub-branches started to form in 1918 with Broken Hill being among
the first, building its membership to a high of 221 shortly after World War 2.
I want to make sure we do not lose sight of all the work our members have
done over the past century. If you can help fill in the gaps, please contact me
at kathleenb@rslsa.org.au or 8100 7300.
Front cover: Victory in the Pacific celebrations 1945
Australian War Memorial 113817. The RSL 70th
anniversary commemoration attracted a congregation
of 800 – and a prime minister (see page 6)
Publication dates for The Signal magazine 2015-2016
Issue
Ad Booking
Artwork/Submissions
Distribution
82
16 November 2015
16 November 2015
2 December 2015
83
16 March 2016
16 March 2016
6 April 2016
Editorial Policy: The Signal magazine is published by the Returned & Services League of Australia (South Australia Branch) Inc and issued four
times per year. Our publication schedules appear above. Please note that submissions, notices and articles should be free of personal views or
political bias and must be of interest to the wider membership of the RSL. We reserve the right to edit, include or refuse submissions. Articles
based on personal views will not be included unless in the form of Letters to the Editor with the name and address of the author. RSL (SA/NT)
Branch also reserves the right to refuse or withdraw an advertisement before publication if this advertisement is deemed to be in conflict with
the RSL or of an improper nature. To contact The Signal, telephone the editorial team on (08) 8100 7300 or email signal@rslsa.org.au
OCTOBER 2015 3
THE SIGNAL
State President
Pacific pride
Saturday, August 15 2015 was a proud
day for the RSL across our region.
We were privileged to be asked by
the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
to conduct a commemorative service
marking the 70th anniversary of
Victory in the Pacific Day (VP Day).
VP Day was the day when World
War 2 ended, although the formal
surrender did not occur until
September 2. On hearing the announcement by Prime Minister
Ben Chifley in 1945, or by whatever other means, Australians
rejoiced wherever they were – at home on the farm or in their
city offices or factories, on Pacific islands or in prisoner of
war camps.
At Torrens Parade Ground this August, about 800 veterans,
their families and guests were joined by our Prime Minister,
Tony Abbott, and His Excellency, the Governor. A service was
undertaken on this special occasion to thank a special group of
people for all that they did for us in Australia’s darkest period.
Elsewhere, smaller services were held. Of particular note was
a strong gathering at Murray Bridge, where Murraylands subbranches came together to mark the occasion. Wherever services
were held, veterans were pleased to be thanked. In Adelaide
I spoke to veterans from all theatres, including a 101-year-old
former nurse who had served in PNG and the Pacific.
Each had a potent memory of their first VP Day. They were
all proud, although somewhat saddened by their memories, to
be able to attend the commemoration with their families. This
edition of The Signal is dedicated to the one million Australians
and their families who endured almost six years of horror but
built the Australia we live in today. We thank them all for their
sacrifice and the enduring values that they bequeathed us.
While we have been remembering World War 2, schools across
the state and the Northern Territory continue to undertake
outstanding work during this Centenary of ANZAC period.
One such school is Prospect Primary School in suburban
Adelaide. It recently won a $2,000 DVA schools award for its
insightful, imaginative Remembrance project. More information
is provided in this edition of The Signal (see page 20 ).
The main unit of work was undertaken by the Year 6 class,
entitled ‘Through the eyes of a Child’. Students ‘became’ a
fictional family member of a real soldier who lived in Prospect
and served in World War 1. The class kept a journal over a
period of six weeks recording their reactions to a series of events
and scenarios which included:
• letters home from the Front and a white feather in the mail
• a German friend’s father being placed in an internment camp
• schooling and children’s war effort.
Many schools are undertaking such work supported by RSL
sub-branches. We will try to highlight some of them over the
coming editions. The education of our children is an incredibly
important part of what we do, and I thank you for your
support of such initiatives.
Tim Hanna AM
State President
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4 VOLUME 81
25/08/2015 3:20 pm
MESSAGES FROM HQ
Chief Executive Officer
Health on agenda
Julia Langrehr has been appointed
as chief executive officer of the RSL
(SA/NT). She joined the Adelaide
staff in August 2012 as project
development manager, subsequently
advancing to customer services
manager. Becoming deputy CEO in
mid-2014, she has been acting as
chief executive since April this year.
Welcome to the spring edition of The Signal. If you are feeling
like me, you’ll be hoping spring brings us some warmer weather.
I am very pleased to accept my appointment to the Chief
Executive Officer position at RSL-SA and I am looking forward
very much to continuing to work with the state branch team
to deliver services to veterans in South Australia, Northern
Territory, and Broken Hill.
We were delighted to receive almost 800 people, including
approximately 300 WW2 veterans with their families
and friends, at Torrens Training Depot to mark the 70th
anniversary of Victory in the Pacific. I am so pleased we were
able to provide an opportunity for these men and women to
come together for this important occasion, and am very proud
of our staff, who produced an exceptional event.
Recently the expert panel handed their report to the State
Government into a Centre of Excellence for veterans’ mental
health (see artist’s impression left). While the RSL-SA is
disappointed at the government’s decision to close the
Repatriation General Hospital, we do believe the process
undertaken by the panel to reach their conclusion was focused
on sound guiding principles. We will continue to work with
SA Health to ensure the best outcome for veterans will be
achieved; in this regard, we welcome your feedback on the
transforming health process and on your health needs.
In other developments, I am excited to announce that
Daronmont Technologies have committed to funding an
assistance dog in the Operation K9 initiative, and I have been
working with RSL Care SA, with support from RSL Life Care
NSW, to develop a homeless veteran support program. I hope
to have more information about that for you in the next
edition of The Signal.
Julia Langrehr
Chief Executive Officer
James Hooper, Managing Partner
P: (08) 8133 5005
E: jhooper@hlbsa.com.au
20 14
OCTOBER 2015 5
COVER STORY
‘AWE AND
GRATITUDE’
PM’s tribute at RSL’s Pacific victory service
By Nigel Starck
Victory in the Pacific – those four
words inspired an outpouring of
public celebration across Australia on
August 15, 1945. “Fellow citizens,
the war is over,” declared the prime
minister of the time, Ben Chifley,
in a nationwide radio broadcast.
He then encouraged his listeners to
“enjoy this glorious moment”.
(SA detachment) band, under the baton
of CPO Kara Williams, supplied the
music; and bugler Sergiy Grynchuk
sounded Last Post and Rouse.
Exactly seventy years on, at the RSL’s
commemorative service in Adelaide,
another prime minister acknowledged the
shared endeavour behind that victory.
“In awe and gratitude, we honour a
generation of Australians who helped turn
the tide of history,” said Tony Abbott.
“Just over 40,000 Australians died in
World War 2, and of the 22,000
Australians taken prisoner, over 8,000
died in captivity, almost all of these as
prisoners of the Japanese. War is brutish,
inglorious and a terrible waste. It leaves
an indelible mark on those who endure it
– physically, mentally, emotionally. Its
only redeeming qualities are the bravery
displayed and the devotion of comrades
to each other.”
He identified in particular the gallantry
of Captain Lionel Matthews, of Stepney,
who while a prisoner of war in North
Borneo had established a clandestine
intelligence agency. He was tortured, but
refused to divulge information – and was
executed by the Japanese in March 1944.
Addressing the 300 World War 2
veterans in his audience, Mr Abbott
added: “That’s the spirit in which all of
you served. That’s the spirit we honour
and commemorate today.”
The RSL service attracted an attendance
in excess of 800, testing the resources and
capacity of the Torrens Parade Ground
drill hall, yet ultimately triumphing in its
ability to nurture reunion and
remembrance. By way of example, RAAF
veteran Dudley Mitchell, 93, found
himself sitting next to Keith Fowler, 95, a
survivor of the Burma Railway. They
discovered they had both attended
Mitcham public school in the 1920s.
Another former POW, Jack Thomas,
94, recited the Ode of Remembrance;
chaplain Carl Aiken delivered a requiem;
the SA Public Primary Schools Choir
led the hymn-singing; the RAN
6 VOLUME 81
Underlying the sense of occasion, though,
was a constant reminder of what had
been lost, what had been endured.
As master of ceremonies Ian Smith, who
chairs the RSL ANZAC Day Committee,
told the assembly:
In his address, the president of the RSL
(SA/NT), Brigadier Tim Hanna, echoed
that mood. “Australians had been at war
for five years, eleven months and eleven
days,” he said. “Victory in the Pacific
marked the end of Australia’s involvement
in the war. With the war over, thousands
of service men and women now returned
home, faced with a new challenge of
adjusting to a post-war life as a civilian.
“Generations of Australians are in awe
of the courage you displayed at sea,
in the air or on the land, and here at
home. That many of you have forgiven
your former enemies and captors, and
embraced the future, is also something
we deeply respect.”
On August 15, 1945, however, the war
had not been over for one member of the
congregation. Ex-commando Jack Tredrea,
now 95, was still leading his Borneo
guerrilla unit into action against the
occupying Japanese forces until the third
week of October. No-one had told them.
Veteran Ray soldiers
on – with new medals
S83512 Private Raymond Boland,
one of our last indigenous WW2
servicemen, now has a new rack
of replica medals. After other
veterans had noticed his need,
while attending ceremonies over
the past two years, the RSL
stepped in and arranged delivery
from a local supplier.
There was a surprise outcome:
presentation of the medals
by SA governor Hieu Van Le
(above) in a ceremony following
the VP Day service.
Ray, now 92, was recruited from
Koonibba Lutheran Mission,
near Ceduna. He was just one of
more than 100 Aboriginal men
enlisted in 1942 for work along
the lines of communication from
Adelaide to Darwin. As he had
learned to drive while at Koonibba,
Ray was posted to Port Augusta
and then to Darwin, where he drove
a ‘Blitz’ truck as a member of the
25th Australian Works Company.
Still intensely proud of his wartime
service, he wore a slouch hat –
and the new set of medals – all the
way back home to Coober Pedy.
Photo Kate Elmes
THE SIGNAL
(Clockwise from above): Impressive numbers:
300 members of the 800-strong congregation
were World War 2 veterans. Ex-commando
Jack Tredrea, who was still in action long after
the official end of hostilities, is at the extreme
left of the front row; in uniform (right of frame)
is ‘Bluey’ Stevens, a survivor of the Burma
Railway and forced labour in Japan.
Stories to share: former nursing sister Grace
Trott tells Channel 9 reporter Alice Monfries
and cameraman Reg Bradshaw about her
wartime experiences in PNG. Grace is 101
(“Well, actually 101-and-a-half,” she says).
Tony Abbott addresses the service:
“We honour a generation of Australians
who helped turn the tide of history.”
Strike up the band: music for victory from
the Royal Australian Navy.
Victory kiss: Norvyn (‘Bluey’) Stevens and
granddaughter Ineke Van Rijswijk.
Photo Kate Elmes
‘Lest We Forget’: ex-POW Jack Thomas
(left of frame), who delivered the Ode, with
catafalque party commander Lieutenant Aaron
Gill and bugler Sergiy Grynchuk.
Trio of memories: (left to right) former RAAF
pilot Ken Wright, 90, who subsequently served
19 years in the Victoria Legislative Council
and three terms as mayor of Mildura;
Dudley Mitchell, 93, ex-RAAF; and Keith
Fowler, 95, who survived enslavement on the
Burma Railway.
An honour to meet you: the prime minister
congratulates Jack Thomas and his wife, Shirley,
on nurturing the VP spirit. Photo Kate Elmes
STATE CONFERENCE 2015
Hot topics and hot dogs at ‘vital’ congress
The RSL retains a vital role in Australian
society, delegates to the annual SA/NT
sub-branch conference were told.
“A nation that fails to remember is a
nation that fails itself,” said the Minister
of Veterans’ Affairs, Senator Michael
Ronaldson. “Veterans need us now and
their families need us now. The onehundredth anniversary of the RSL is a
good time to focus on what lies ahead.”
That centenary will be celebrated in
South Australia this December.
It was essential, Senator Ronaldson
said, to avoid a repetition of the neglect
experienced by Vietnam veterans:
“What was done post-Vietnam was the
darkest stain in this nation’s history.”
• A report, by Julia Langrehr (CEO), on
the RSL’s recent hotel purchase: the
Avoca, at Clarence Gardens, continues
to record healthy and profitable trade.
• Presentation of the Meritorious Service
Medal (the highest in-house RSL award)
to Clarrie Pollard (Payneham), Keith
Horne (Tea Tree Gully), and Colin
Cameron (Mount Gambier).
• Conferral of an ANZAC of the Year
Award on Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Bill
Denny (long-serving chairman of the
ANZAC Day March Committee).
In addition, this 98th annual conference
gave members from throughout the state
– and Broken Hill – the chance to share
experiences and hopes.
Energy levels inside the drill hall were
sustained all day through refreshments
supplied by the Morphett Vale catering
team. During the lunch break, many
delegates took advantage of the bright
mid-winter sunshine to hold informal
conferences of their own, fuelled by the
TS Noarlunga hot dog (with onions)
mobile galley.
(Clockwise from left):
Senator Michael
Ronaldson: “veterans
need us now”
Meritorious Service
Award recipient Clarrie
Pollard with his
daughter, Heather Jones
The conference proceedings included:
• An alert, to sub-branches everywhere,
that homeless veterans needed to be
identified and assisted.
• Concerns, voiced by David Feeney MP
(Opposition spokesman on veterans’
affairs), about the increasing gap
between dental fees and DVA rebates.
• An update on retirement centres
operated and planned by RSL Care
(soon to be renamed RSL Living).
The incoming CEO of RSL Living,
Nathan Klinge, told delegates that, with
the current surge in veteran numbers,
“we’ve got a job to do for the next
80 years”.
… while Colin,
Keith, Clarrie take
centre stage
Rod Graham (Royal
Australian Regiment
delegate) addresses
the conference
• Keith Horne (Tea Tree Gully),
member since 1977: former president
and vice-president, donor of military
memorabilia, grower of orchids for
corsages at RSL lunches, welfare visitor.
• Clarrie Pollard (Payneham), member
since 1945: former president and
vice-president, hospital visitor,
conference delegate.
Three of our stalwarts, with a combined
membership record of 177 years, have
been invested with the RSL’s highest
award: the Meritorious Service Medal.
The ceremony was performed by acting
national deputy president Rod White
during the recent state conference.
The trio of recipients comprises:
• Colin Cameron (Mount Gambier),
member since 1946, holding a variety
of offices and fulfilling an array of civic
duties: sub-branch president, treasurer,
bingo caller, Father Christmas.
8 VOLUME 81
Meritorious service recognised (left to right): Rod White, Colin Cameron,
Keith Horne, Clarrie Pollard, state president Brigadier Tim Hanna
THE SIGNAL
Seven eminent
Australians –
and Bill Denny is
among them
The RSL national office has released its
2015 ANZAC of the Year Award list,
for ‘exceptional service to the Australian
community demonstrating compassion,
endurance and dedication’. Among the
seven recipients is Lieutenant Colonel
(retd) Bill Denny, who joined the RSL
in 1972 on returning from Vietnam
– and has subsequently amassed a
formidable record of achievement.
His award was presented during the
recent state conference.
These are just some of his many deeds
and appointments: chairman of the
RSL ANZAC Day Committee for
18 years; instigator of the ANZAC eve
youth vigil (a ceremony that is now
gaining a national presence); inaugural
director of Veterans SA (2008 – 2014);
initiator of the Vietnam War Memorial
project, along with co-chairing the
Family pride:
Bill Denny,
after the award
presentation,
with son Will,
wife Clare, and
daughter Rosie
project’s committee; appointed Member
of the Order of Australia (AM) for service
to the community, particularly veterans
and their families, through the expansion
of ANZAC Day commemorative events
in South Australia; member of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War
Memorial Committee; and honorary
colonel of the Royal Australian Corps of
Transport in South Australia.
In addition, Bill Denny’s public-spirited
portfolio embraces: chairmanship
of the 86 Transport Platoon (Vietnam)
Association; membership of the Vietnam
Veterans’ Association committee; and
serving as patron of both the National
Servicemen’s Association (SA) and the
Military Vehicle Preservation Society.
He is an Ambassador of Reconciliation
SA and an Australia Day Ambassador.
Announcing the award, the RSL national
president, Rear Admiral (retd) Ken
Doolan, described Bill and his six fellow
recipients as “exemplars of community
service”.
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OCTOBER 2015 9
THE SIGNAL
DEFENCE BULLETIN
PTSD? Ask for help
Feelings of “weakness and
shame associated with
asking for help” are inhibiting
mental health treatment for
the military.
The warning comes
from the Chief of the
Defence Force, Air
Chief Marshal Mark
Binskin (pictured).
“There is no shame
in asking for help,”
he said, delivering
the annual ADF
Oration in Canberra.
“Everyone who goes to war is changed by
the experience. Extreme fatigue and stress,
combined with sustained attack or threat,
can have a dramatic effect on a person’s
mental health and overall wellbeing.
“These stressors are not just confined to
land battles or even combat. They apply
equally to air and maritime operations,
as well as non-warlike operations, where
exposure to the devastating effects
of natural disaster or human suffering
can be equally onerous for military
personnel.”
“The longer someone hides their
symptoms and avoids treatment, the
greater the risk for this to occur,” he said.
“We are gradually seeing examples where
people who have undertaken rehabilitation
are returning to work in the ADF.”
From July 2013 to June 2014, 813
people undertook the ADF rehabilitation
program after being diagnosed with
a mental health condition such
as depression or anxiety disorders,
including PTSD.
Agent Orange: new book
to tell ‘real story’
(Extract from transcript of ABC Radio’s
The World Today broadcast hosted by
Nick Grimm, July 14 2015)
After a drawn-out campaign longer than
the war in which they served, Australia’s
Vietnam veterans have finally won an
important battle in their fight for proper
recognition of their service and sacrifice.
The Australian War Memorial (AWM)
has decided the official history of the
conflict should be rewritten to provide a
more accurate account of the use of Agent
Orange, the chemical herbicide blamed
for a range of cancers and other health
problems.
He identified historical barriers to effective
treatment. In World War 1, shell-shocked
soldiers “were branded as weak and
cowardly”, he said. In more recent times,
anti-war sentiment prevalent in Australia
during the 1970s had meant “our
Vietnam veterans were predominantly
reviled, rather than celebrated as their
forebears had been”.
The AWM has commissioned
independent historian Professor Peter
Yule from the University of Melbourne
to write a new volume for its official
history, Medical Aspects of Australia’s
Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts,
1950-72. Between 1961 and 1971 the
United States Air Force sprayed tonnes of
Agent Orange over large areas of Vietnam.
Air Chief Marshal Binskin said that
today, however, there were signs of
improvement: “Our experiences in Iraq
and Afghanistan are the driver behind our
determination to more fully understand
all factors that impact on the mental
health of our people.”
“The jungle canopy hid the Vietcong,
hid the enemy, and so the American
He was “acutely aware” that one of
the major barriers preventing service
personnel from seeking treatment was the
misbelief a diagnosis of a mental health
disorder such as PTSD would mean the
end of their ADF career.
10 VOLUME 81
The dark shadow of Agent Orange
solution to that was to remove the jungle
canopy. They sprayed millions of gallons
of the toxic chemical, or a mixture of
toxic chemicals known as Agent Orange
and other agents,” said Graham Walker,
who served as an Australian infantry
commander in Vietnam.
But Agent Orange and those other
chemical cocktails were not as benign
to humans as it was claimed. They have
been blamed for high rates of birth
defects. Dioxins contained within the
defoliants have also been linked to:
leukaemia, cancers of the throat, lung,
colon, and liver; and a range of nerve,
digestive, skin and respiratory disorders.
“We’re very grateful to the War Memorial
Council for agreeing to have this new
book written,” Mr Walker said. “And we,
of course, hope now the real story will
be told.”
Frigates, patrol boats,
subs in fleet promise
The federal government’s announcement
of a long-term plan for the naval
shipbuilding industry has generated
media excitement. Adelaide’s Advertiser
initially reacted by branding SA as the
‘home of Defence shipbuilding for
a generation’.
Later, the hyperbole cooled. The
newspaper conceded that, while the
government would invest more than
$89 billion in ships and submarines for
the Navy over the next 20 years, the
SA share remained uncertain.
According to the Navy News publication,
this decision will bring forward
construction of:
• Anzac-class frigates, to be built in
South Australia based on a competitive
evaluation process (CEP) which will
begin in October.
• Offshore patrol vessels to replace the
existing Armidale-class fleet with a
continuous onshore build starting in
2018 after a CEP.
In addition, there is the promise of
more submarine building, and more
submarine-related jobs, at undefined
locations within Australia.
Lest
We
Forget
T
his qualiTy ring honours a loved one
who served our counTry courageously
F
rom the shores of Gallipoli to the deserts
of Iraq, Australia’s armed forces have
honoured us with courage and valour. In their
fight for freedom, these sons and daughters
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OCTOBER 2015 11
THE SIGNAL
Vietnam vets and
showbiz vets rock –
for the last time?
By Nigel Starck
The sun broke through, after days of rain
and grey skies, for what was publicised as
the final Vietnam Veterans’ Association
free concert. And the stars shone too –
every bit as brightly as they did 45
years ago – in an unashamedly ‘retro’
entertainment showcase.
Presented with a generous dash of
political incorrectness under that blue sky
at Torrens Parade Ground on August 16,
the playbill included appearances by
artists who, all those decades ago, had
travelled to Vietnam to entertain
the troops.
Anne and Susan Wills provoked
memories of a 1969 tour by displaying a
pink mini-dress from their stage wardrobe
of the time. Feigning dismay at its lack of
length, Anne exclaimed: “Wouldn’t even
cover the promised land!”
chosen, for what will become of this
revered al fresco concert? The SA
president of the Vietnam Veterans’
Association, Michael Benyk, told ABC
News this would be the end, as expenses
had become prohibitive. Channel 7 News
added some detail, saying the show cost
$20,000 to mount but government-linked
support was now only $5,000.
Across the parade ground, the Vietnam
War Memorial was bedecked with
wreaths, freshly laid that morning.
Recognition of the fallen has not faded
away. Surely, memories and re-enactment
of this phenomenon in Australian
showbiz history should not be entirely
abandoned either. At the very least, hopes
must be held that a Vietnam ‘tribute’
performance – somewhere and somehow –
might yet materialise.
After some inventively risqué exchanges
between Anne and MC Peter Goers, the
sisters swung into classics from their
repertoire: All I Have To Do Is Dream,
Among My Souvenirs, and When You
Walked Out On Me. The incorrectness
stepped up a notch with the ‘boobpowered’ tassel-twirling of Pat Kennedy
(aka ‘Big Pretzel’). It inspired Goers to
confess: “They were the first breasts I ever
saw – on the telethon at two o’clock in
the morning.”
John Schumann added a more soulful
touch with his chart-topping I Was Only
19; Bev Harrell – as petite of figure and
as powerful of voice as ever – sang an
impassioned You’re My World.
Then came the headline act: Australia’s
king of rock when his number came up
in the National Service lottery, Normie
Rowe (aka 3793130 Trooper Norman
J. Rowe, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, Royal
Australian Armoured Corps).
The crowd clapped, danced, gyrated,
chanted in unison with Normie’s upbeat
Que Sera Sera. That song title was well
12 VOLUME 81
(Clockwise from top right): Minuscule mini: Susan (left) and Anne Wills with that skimpy dress
of 1969; Big Pretzel: queen of tassel-twirling; Soulful: John Schumann and I Was Only 19;
the Vietnam veteran: Normie Rowe, king of pop; petite and powerful: Bev Harrell’s You’re My World
RSL COMMUNITY FOCUS
Ninety-nine years on – a new tree for a fallen soldier
The soldier died in France on August 12,
1916. A tree, dedicated to his memory,
was planted in the Rose Park avenue
of honour.
Then it died too. It was replaced in a
ceremony, attended by four generations
of the soldier’s extended family, on
August 12 this year – exactly 99 years
after his death in the Battle of Pozières.
The soldier was Private Sydney Sando,
killed in action serving with the 48th
Infantry Battalion. He was 19.
Sydney Sando had attended school at
Rose Park and then found work on
a farm at Karoonda. Another of the five
Sando brothers, Leslie, was killed just
six weeks before the Armistice when
serving with the 32nd Battalion. He,
too, has a memorial tree – with a plaque
bearing his name – in the avenue.
Left: Burnside Council’s crew lowers the
replacement elm, in honour of a fallen son;
above: Brodi Hamood, 9, great-great-greatnephew of Sydney Sando, helps with ceremonial
planting – watched by great-great-nieces Jenna
Selfe and Tori Reed, along with (left to right)
three more members of the extended family’s
youngest generation (Ava, 1, Charli, 4, and
Archer, 3)
The new tree is an English elm, nurtured
these past 15 years so that it can stand
with pride in the streetscape. Burnside
Council is gradually and gracefully
replacing the elms as they grow infirm,
aiming to maintain the aesthetic effect as
well as honouring collective memory.
VETERANS’ RADIO PROGRAMS
Service-themed or veteran-hosted shows
RSL News hosted by David Lyas and Keith Harrison
RPH 1197AM at 6pm on Thursdays, or online at
www.rphadelaide.org.au.
Listen in to Vets on Air with Gilly and the VVF team on
88.7 CoastFM on Tuesday evenings 6-8pm. The program
includes information, music, fun, news and commemoration.
In the Mid North and Iron Triangle area listen in to
Haydn Madigan on 105.1 TraxFM on Mondays 6-8pm.
Flying Officer Rosie
Coysh, from RAAF
Edinburgh, joined
a recent Thursday
night RSL chat with
Keith (centre) and
David on RPH
1197AM
“We promote the recognition of Australian Defence
Force veteran owned and operated businesses.”
www.avob.org.au
www.facebook.com/australianveteranownedbusiness
www.instagram.com/australianveteranownedbusiness
www.twitter.com/AustralianVOB
OCTOBER 2015 13
THE SIGNAL
Aboriginal digger
remembered in RSL
football medal
Mark Naley
– 1987
Carlton
premiership
player and
winner
of the 1991
Magarey
Medal – grew
up ‘knowing’
two things
about his
grandfather: he was a Gallipoli veteran
and ‘an Afghan migrant’.
The Gallipoli belief was true enough.
Gordon Charles Naley served there with
the 16th Battalion AIF, later fighting
on the Western Front, where he was
wounded and taken prisoner. But a
family history investigation has now
thoroughly disproved any ancestral link
with Afghanistan. Gordon Naley was,
in fact, an Aboriginal digger. He had
been born at Eucla, WA, just west of
the SA border in 1884.
That indigenous connection is now being
proclaimed with pride on the football
field. The Gordon Naley Medal, awarded
by the RSL, has been presented to the
player best demonstrating ‘work ethic,
courage, and leadership’ in the annual
Aboriginal Lands Cup. Maralinga and
APY Lands contested the trophy in a
curtain-raiser to the Port AdelaideCollingwood AFL clash at Adelaide Oval
in July.
Former Hawthorn rookie Amos Frank
won the medal, and his APY side
convincingly won the game: 8.7 (55) to
1.8 (14).
Gordon Charles Naley was the son of
William Naley, the manager of
Mundrabilla Station, and an East Mirning
woman whose name is not known. He
grew up to become a horse-breaker and
shearer before enlisting in September
1914. Posted to the 16th Battalion, he
took part in the landing at ANZAC Cove
on April 25 1915 and fierce fighting on
Pope’s Hill and at Quinn’s Post the
following month. In late May 1915, he
was evacuated with enteric fever.
‘Immensely proud’
– Magarey Medallist Mark Naley
Following hospital treatment in Malta
and in England, Private Naley rejoined his
unit in August 1916, seeing action at the
Battle of Mouquet Farm and then the
First Battle of Bullecourt in April 1917,
where he was wounded and captured.
He was repatriated to England in January
1919. Two weeks later, he married Cecile
Karsh at the United
Methodist Church,
Fulham. He had met
her when she was
working as a nurse’s
assistant during his
time in hospital.
The couple sailed to
Adelaide, then
settled at Barmera
and had six children.
Gordon died at
Myrtle Bank War
Veterans Hospital in
1928, aged 44,
14 VOLUME 81
from respiratory failure as a result of
wartime gas bombardment. Cecile
stayed in Adelaide until her death in the
early 1950s.
Mark Naley played 236 games for South
Adelaide in the SANFL (1980s and early
1990s), winning the club’s best and fairest
award in 1984. He played 65 games for
Carlton (1987-1990), and was a member
of the club’s 1987 premiership team.
Today he is the owner of Mark Naley
Building Services, a company that
provides shop-fittings for offices and
commercial enterprises. Mark says he is
“immensely proud” to have discovered
his indigenous heritage – and to have
his grandfather’s name enshrined
by the RSL as a symbol of Aboriginal
sporting prowess.
IN MEMORY OF DON
Don McSweeny was a co-founder of the
Lands Cup concept, and today the match
itself is named after him. He was a
prominent identity in SA football,
notably on the Eyre Peninsula, for 70
years and became known as the region’s
elder statesman of football.
Don attended the Naley Medal
preliminaries at Torrens Parade Ground,
and was at the game that evening. It was
his last public duty; he died just 12 days
later, aged 84, on July 21.
The Naley Medal story. (Top left) Mark Naley in
his Carlton days; (top right) Gordon and Cecile
at their London wedding; (left) Don McSweeny,
with the medal and players Jeremiah Sinclair
(Maralinga, left) and Adrian Peel (APY)
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OCTOBER 2015 15
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THE SIGNAL
OBITUARY
REX JOHN LIPMAN
26 April 1922 – 4 July 2015
Rex Lipman, who has died aged 93, was a
commando in Japanese-occupied Timor,
commanding officer of a regiment at 26,
a dental surgeon, founder of a merchant
bank, author of seven books, a longserving honorary consul for France, and
an entrepreneur in the fields of travel,
hospitality training, and winemaking.
Their son Rex, although eventually
destined to follow his father into
dentistry, found himself more inspired in
youth by military pursuits. He flourished
in the school cadet corps, learning rapidly
to handle a range of weapons while
blindfolded, and – at just 15 – enlisting
in the militia by declaring he was actually
19. His enlistment was accompanied
by another life-changing event: leaving
school in 1937 to take a job as an office
boy with the pastoral bank Goldsborough
Mort at £50 a year. The Lipman talent
for private enterprise immediately shone
through; he took money for lunch orders,
made the sandwiches and rolls himself,
and managed to increase his wage by at
least another £75.
After the outbreak of war, and still
only 18, he was commissioned. By this
juncture, the authorities were aware of
his true age; he therefore had to bide his
time in a succession of training roles, as
regulations prohibited officers under 21
from active service outside Australia.
This natural talent for versatility was
Rex Lipman as others saw him
apparent from an early age. His parents,
Hyam and Esther Lipman (née Solomon), “A delightful man of many parts
were nominally – albeit in an easyand a very memorable monocle”
going fashion – Orthodox Jews; Rex,
Peter Goers (ABC Radio)
nevertheless, won the divinity prize three
years in succession when he entered
“My sister Jane and I had a chance
St Peter’s College, Adelaide’s leading
meeting with Rex Lipman about
Anglican school.
His entry to the world, though, had
experienced its hazardous edge. Esther
conceived Rex when she was 21 and,
already, the mother of two children.
According to his autobiography, she tried
to end the pregnancy by “repeatedly
jumping off a wide mantelpiece”. This,
the book added, was one of her few
unsuccessful initiatives. The daughter
of a politician (who, for just one week in
1899, was premier of South Australia),
she became in 1956 the first woman
elected to the Adelaide City Council,
serving for the next 22 years.
Her husband was a dentist, famed locally
for advertising dentures under the slogans
“Lipman’s Lookalives Look Alive” and,
inspired by the hit musical of the day,
“You can even Chew Chin Chow with
Lipman’s Lookalives”.
16 VOLUME 81
10 years ago on a flight to Melbourne.
He was full of wisdom. We only
met him for a fleeting moment but
he changed both our lives that day.”
Jessica Shearer (letter to The Advertiser)
His opportunity eventually emerged
in December 1941, with selection for
commando training. Rex Lipman threw
himself enthusiastically into a regime of
running, swimming, and demolition.
This was interrupted only by a bout of the
bone disease osteomyelitis, and a lengthy
stay in hospital – long enough to meet
a nurse called Eve Fisher. It would prove
a significant encounter.
On recovery, he saw active service in
Timor with the 2/4th Australian
Commando Squadron. As his published
memoirs disclose, this was a notably
difficult assignment: “We were 204 in
number, and the enemy was ten to twenty
thousand.” Dysentery, tropical ulcers, and
malaria compounded the discomfort.
Back in Australia in 1943, and as Captain
Lipman, adjutant of the 2/7th Cavalry
Commando Regiment, he was posted to
far north Queensland. There, a visit to
his unit by General Sir Thomas Blamey,
Commander in Chief of the Australian
Military Forces, was interrupted
by a junior officer who ‘chundered’
spectacularly over the general’s uniform.
Appointed as defending counsel at
the subsequent court martial, Captain
Lipman argued that the accused had
been boxing in the gymnasium, and a
succession of blows provoked a delayed,
but violent, gastric upset. He got off
with a reprimand.
Rex Lipman’s next engagement took him
back to north Borneo, where the regiment
was assigned to clearing the Japanese
from the island of Labuan. He was
mentioned in despatches for ‘exceptional
service in the field’. Then, at war’s end,
there followed an engagement of another
kind – to Eve Fisher, the nurse he had
met while suffering from osteomyelitis
five years earlier. They were married in
May 1947, making their first home on
a 10-acre farmlet in Campbelltown, and
supplementing their income by selling
fruit and vegetables.
The money was much needed; Rex
was earning £3/15s a week under the
Commonwealth Reconstruction Training
Scheme for ex-servicemen. Having left
school at the age of 15, he now had to
go back for a year’s cramming of physics
and chemistry before admission to
dentistry at university. He would fail, and
therefore had to re-sit, only one dental
examination: an interview, in which he
was quizzed by a panel of practitioners.
Long afterwards, he discovered the
reason: he had gone straight to the
examination from his morning delivery
at the market, reeking of cabbages –
an odour that offended the panel.
In addition to all this, and by now a
major in the Citizen Military Force (and,
soon afterwards, promoted to lieutenant
colonel), he became commanding officer
OBITUARY
(From left) as CO of the Adelaide University
Regiment, receiving the 1951 RSL Trophy
from the state governor, Lieutenant General
Sir Willoughby Norrie; Rex Lipman: 93 years
of versatility
of the newly formed Adelaide University
Regiment. Under his dynamic leadership,
the AUR won the RSL trophy – awarded
to the most efficient unit in South
Australia – in 1949, 1950, and 1951.
He remained constantly aware of
encouragement given to him, in
Queensland during the war, by Sir
Raphael Cilento, an authority on
tropical disease. “You, Rex, have much
more to give to the world than just
one profession,” Sir Raphael had told
him. Over the ensuing decades, Rex
Lipman followed that advice in quite
extraordinary fashion. He practised, with
sustained success, as a dental surgeon for
a dozen years (Rupert Murdoch, at the
time publisher of the Adelaide News,
was an early patient). He then founded,
in association with American and
Canadian partners, Adelaide’s first
merchant bank, International Merchant
& Financial Corporation; to house it,
he built a 20-storey office tower in
Adelaide’s CBD. The company’s portfolio
grew fast. After a successful takeover bid for the department store and
hardware supplier Harris Scarfe, Rex
served as its executive chairman.
He and Eve Lipman had three
daughters and two sons; they
moved from their farmlet to a large
property at Balhannah, where they
became prominent racehorse owners;
subsequently, when the racing industry
in South Australia went into decline,
they converted their landholding into
a vineyard. Through frequent travel to
France, Rex developed a passion for
French culture. This, in turn, led to his
appointment in 1974 as SA’s honorary
consul for France; he remained in this
post until 1990, and was appointed
Officer of the Legion of Honour. His
own country made him, first, a Member
of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1989
and then, in 2008, an Officer of the
Order of Australia (AO).
The list of personal and professional
achievements continued to grow: the
launch of a travel company (Angas
Travel), and the pioneering of tours to
European battlefields; establishment
of the International College of Hotel
Management at Regency Park; and the
authorship of seven books, including The
Anjou Trilogy, a set of novels with an epic
theme embracing Georgian England at
the time of the Industrial Revolution, the
American War of Independence, and the
French Revolution.
Rex Lipman was, undeniably, a man
of vital, animated character. He wore
a monocle; he took each of his 15
grandchildren on a ‘Rexpo’, staying
at an upmarket hotel for an intensive
course in life skills; in recent years he
marched alone on ANZAC Day as the
sole able-bodied survivor of his wartime
unit; and, into his nineties, he liked to
play computer games that sharpened
the mind. That concern for maintaining
brainpower, heightened by witnessing
Eve’s gradual onset of dementia, inspired
him to write Don’t Miss the Bus, a book
that specified mental exercises allied to a
dietary regimen.
His death, of complications following an
aneurysm, brought to a close a life that
had fulfilled Sir Raphael Cilento’s hopes.
Clearly, he had given to society much
more than the fruits of one profession.
VIOLET
VERSES
under the
night sky
ANZAC House at Torrens Parade
Ground – a building rich in military
character – has taken on a new role.
For three nights only, it became
the screen for Violet Verses, a ‘sound
and light spectacular’ projected
onto its white façade. The storyline
commemorated the centenary of the
Cheer Up Society, which raised funds
for an Armed Services clubhouse by
selling violets. One bunch sold in Burra
for £384 – around $37,000 today.
The Cheer Up Hut stood on the banks of the Torrens, where the Festival Centre
is today. Introducing Violet Verses, SA Veterans’ Affairs minister Martin HamiltonSmith told the audience: “There was not a poppy in sight at the first Violet Day
(July 2, 1915). The violet was a symbol of perpetual remembrance at that time.”
OCTOBER 2015 17
THE SIGNAL
Film finds another
‘one day of the year’
Here’s a question for your next trivia quiz:
when was the first ANZAC Day celebrated?
The answer is found in a new DVD produced by SA film-maker
Ashley Starkey; surprisingly, it was not on April 25 – but on
October 13 1915, while the bullets were still flying at Gallipoli.
The setting was Adelaide, where South Australia’s ‘Eight Hour
Day’ public holiday (otherwise known as Labour Day) was
renamed in honour of the ANZAC troops.
Proceeds from the day’s events and collections were donated to
the Wounded Soldiers Fund.
Although a procession through the city included many of the
wounded as well as 5,000 recruits, the parade was not exclusively
military in character; indeed, it had some imaginative and
downright eccentric elements. As Ash Starkey’s documentary
(entitled The First ANZAC Day) tells us, there was a giant effigy
of the Kaiser adorned with a banner declaring ‘The Kaiser wants
Copper, hit him with some’. Coins were then thrown at it,
adding to the collection.
Post-parade activities at Adelaide Oval capitalised on the mood
of eccentricity. Circling the oval was a group dressed as prehistoric
animals being chased by cave men. A crowd of 20,000 gathered
for a tram-car crash described as an ‘American novelty’; two
obsolete (formerly horse-drawn) trams were mounted on a track
raised at both ends. With gravity powering the trams to a speed
of 16 miles per hour, the impact of the collision was made more
impressive with timed explosions causing the wreckage to burst
into flame at the moment of impact.
In a more serious vein, The First ANZAC Day depicts the
raising of the 10th Battalion, AIF and its subsequent role in
the Gallipoli campaign. The Adelaide events were filmed,
and shown at the Wondergraph cinema, Hindley Street. But
the documentary producer’s search for footage has been a
frustrating one. “I’ve looked all over the country for it,” he says.
“I’ve searched long and hard – archives, film collectors,
libraries. But all I’ve found is one frame, at the National Film
and Sound Archive in Canberra.”
October 13 1915: street parade and tram-car explosion in aid of the
Wounded Soldiers Fund
Nonetheless, Ash Starkey’s DVD adds an important dimension
to South Australia’s military and social record, notably through
its blend of interviews with historians and the archival images.
It can be bought through http://www.thefirstanzacday.com
($29.70 including postage)
Hundred’s up – but
records are missing
from RSL archives
This year of centenaries is about to
register another – the 100th anniversary
of the RSL itself in South Australia.
The inaugural meeting, to establish the
movement, was held on December 8 1915.
A search through our records, led by
archivist Kathleen Bambridge, has
uncovered some significant discoveries.
Among them (pictured left) is a 1956 copy
of Sentry-Go, a forerunner of The Signal.
Note how an attempt is made to stimulate
reader response through a ‘Miss Sentry-Go’
18 VOLUME 81
cover girl competition. As a guide to what
was required, the front page carried a study
(by Sentry-Go contract photographer
Daniel Cronin) of Miss Margaret Lambert,
daughter of the RSL state vice-president,
Mr W.E. Lambert. Margaret had been an
RSL Ball debutante that year.
As archivist Kathleen says, on page 3 of
this Signal, we would welcome RSL
memorabilia from our current readers:
“Many sub-branches have closed, and their
records are lost to us. Can you help fill in
the gaps?”
If you can assist in this quest, please
contact her at kathleenb@rslsa.org.au
or 8100 7300.
THE SIGNAL
Cake, collection, dance on Edinburgh diary
Current and past members of No 24 (City of Adelaide) Squadron gathered at the RAAF
Edinburgh officers mess to celebrate the squadron’s 75th anniversary.
Meanwhile, the base has raised $3,500 for Cystic Fibrosis SA.
Aircraftwoman Kylie Baker (below) was on collection duty at the
gate when Sergeant Peter Gammie drove in. Two senior officers
at RAAF Edinburgh, Group Captain Greg Weller and Wing
Commander Chris Robson, have strong personal reasons for
supporting the cause: each has a family member living with
cystic fibrosis, a condition affecting the lungs (and other organs)
for which at present there is no cure.
Ceremonial sword cake-cutting (above) performed by the CO
(Wing Commander Ewen Seabrook) and Flying Officer Rose Coysh.
Traditional dance – of the Kaurna kind – added to the midwinter mix at Edinburgh. The base’s celebration of NAIDOC
(National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee)
Week included a performance by the Marltu Rendi group
(translation: ‘staying strong together’). It marked the unveiling
of new signage,
in English and
Kaurna, recognising
the history of
land ownership.
Trevor and Dianne’s Pieta pilgrimage
Malta, known from its World War 1 medical care as ‘Nurse of
the Mediterranean’, has produced a surprise discovery for
Adelaide tourists Trevor and Dianne Tucker. In the Pieta military
cemetery, they found the grave of a relative, Private Leslie Tucker
– Trevor’s cousin ‘twice removed’.
“To the best of our knowledge, no-one else from the family had
visited his resting place in a hundred years,” says Trevor, a former
Port Adelaide and West Torrens footballer.
From the spring of 1915, hospitals and convalescent depots
on the islands of Malta and Gozo received more than 135,000
sick and wounded, chiefly from the campaigns in Gallipoli
and Salonika.
Trevor and Dianne, of West Beach, laid a flower and left a
handwritten note on Leslie’s gravestone. He died of wounds, on
November 18 1915, after serving with the 10th Battalion, AIF
at Gallipoli.
Leslie was 24, and had enlisted from his home town of Blyth, in
the mid-north of South Australia. The pilgrimage to Pieta
completed a pattern of homage to the fallen; the burial places
of two other relatives, both casualties on the Western Front, have
been visited in recent times by members of the Tucker family.
Maltese homage:
Trevor Tucker at the
Pieta memorial; (inset)
Dianne’s flower in
tribute to the young
soldier who died far
from home
Poppy
The Buckley London Poppy Collection comes
in various designs and each poppy is presented
in an elegant gift box. Buckley London, the award
winning jewellery designer, is proud to produce
the beautiful poppy jewellery collections for
RSL Australia.
This collection will raise vital funds each
year through the sale of uniquely jewelled
poppy brooches.
To purchase the original Buckley
poppy jewellery please visit:
www.poppyshop.org.au
OCTOBER 2015 19
THE SIGNAL
RSL ROUND-UP... Reunions...
New NS
garden so
we ‘never
forget’
WANTED
Rats of Tobruk relatives
The Signal has received this
urgent plea from Owen Carlton,
who is anxious to enshrine
detailed records of the Rats
of Tobruk:
Seeking contact from descendants and
relatives of Rats of Tobruk. Be advised
that the Rats of Tobruk Association
(ROTA) membership database and
website, which went to air February
2012, has been recently updated and
now contains a master record of 5,223
Rats, Fallen/KIA 2,294, POWs 939
and Non-Tobruk 289, along with
other member reports. These reports
can be viewed on the website:
http://ratsoftobrukvictoria.org.au
Also please be aware, if you are
a descendant or relative of a Rat of
Tobruk over the age of 18, you are
eligible to apply for affiliate
membership of ROTA. By joining
this unique association, you can do
your part in assisting the association
to continue functioning into the
future and ensuring the memory of
the Rats of Tobruk lives on forever.
We owe them at least that much for
their service to our country.
I can be contacted via the website
or by telephone: 03 9704 5734 or
0401 561 421. Owen Carlton
(‘A Proud Nasho’), ROTA Affil N0003
The SA branch
of the National
Servicemen’s
Association is
working with
the City of
West Torrens
to develop
a National Servicemen’s Memorial
Garden. It will acknowledge the 300,000
young men conscripted into the Armed
Forces under the two National Service
schemes between 1951 and 1972. This
keeps faith with the association’s motto
‘We will never forget’.
The association will develop the area
known as the Kesmond Reserve, next
to its headquarters at Surrey Road,
Keswick. The gardens already contain
a Ferret scout car and a large memorial
stone (pictured). Information on order
forms for a paver or membership
details can be obtained by contacting
the association: 08 8293-6344,
nsaasa@adam.com.au; or visiting our
website nashossa.org.au
3RAR Back 2 Woodside
3RAR Back 2 Woodside Reunion
20-23 November 2015.
Further information on itinerary,
bookings and merchandise:
www.Back2Woodside.com
Run/Walk To Support
Young Veterans
Sunday, October 25 9.30am
2RAR’s reunion surfside
Start: River Torrens, near Torrens Parade
Ground. Prizes for all divisions:
2RAR Reunion: Twin Towns Services
Club, Tweed Heads, October 31 2015.
5km walk (family groups, prams, pets
on leash welcome)
Early start with AGM at 8.30am
(ANZAC Room), followed by:
Commemorative Service 9.45am
Cunningham Park, next to club premises.
Reunion 11.00am River View Lounge.
Contact secretary Gordon Hurford
07 5443 5583 or 2rarsecretary@gmail.com
20 VOLUME 81
Eyes on WW1 at Prospect,
Virginia and NT
Schools in South
Australia and the
Northern Territory
have each won
$2,000 in this year’s
DVA schools awards.
In their winning
project, entitled
‘Through the eyes of
a Child’, Prospect primary school’s Year 6
class researched what it would have been
to be the family of a World War 1
soldier. They kept a journal for six weeks,
recording such incidents as letters from
the Front, receiving a white feather in
the mail, a Germans friend’s father being
interned, and children’s war efforts.
Art classes worked on a series of displays
under the tuition of visual arts teacher
Stephanie Wright. A poppy-themed
mosaic (pictured above) has become
a permanent feature. DVA judges were
impressed by the level of community
engagement, which included “writing to
current homeowners of the houses where
the Prospect soldiers lived and giving
them information on the soldier who
lived in their house”.
In the NT, St Joseph’s Catholic College,
Katherine developed its own ‘Flanders
Fields’. This involved the construction,
painting, and installation (using
Pythagoras’ theorem and string lines)
of crosses and plaques. All the plaques
carried information on the veterans
commemorated.
In addition, a cross was planted in
memory of Private Scott Palmer, killed
in Afghanistan, whose nephew attends
the school. All this, along with a service
and catafalque party, led DVA judges
to describe the St Joseph’s project as
“a wonderfully moving commemoration”.
See website for registration details
and souvenir t-shirt purchase:
www.trojanstrek.com
Another prize-winner was Virginia
Primary: awarded $500 as state runnerup in its section. Its project also took
the form of a mosaic, featuring in
this instance three local men – Albert
Hatcher, Howard Hatcher, and James
Sheedy – who served in World War I.
All funds to Trojan’s Trek, the
rehabilitation program for young
veterans returning from combat duty.
Students worked with artist Kate
Ahlfors and the Sheedy family to create
the design.
5km female run; 5km male run;
5km team event
RSL ROUND-UP
Announcements... Events
The RSL Care Villas Fete
Saturday October 17 2015, 9am-2pm
18 Trafford Street, Angle Park
Century of Care –
with that capital ‘C’
In this year of centenaries, RSL Care SA
has joined the club. On August 15, it
celebrated 100 years of looking after the
veteran and aged community of SA.
Its origins can be traced to formation of
the Peace Day League in August 1915,
with the aim of establishing a centre for
the care of returned servicemen. By the
end of 1916, enough funds had been
raised to buy a homestead called ‘Myrtle
Bank’. After several transformations
of both purpose and structure, the
organisation changed its name in
November 1957 to the War Veterans’
Home, Myrtle Bank.
Then, in 2012, the aged care and
accommodation operations of the RSL
(SA/NT) were merged with the home to
form RSL Care SA.
Today, aged care is offered at both
Myrtle Bank and Angle Park, along
with retirement living at Myrtle Bank,
Marion, and Glengowrie. In addition,
RSL Care affordable housing is found
at Angle Park, Campbelltown, Clovelly
Park, and Wallaroo.
Newly appointed CEO Nathan Klinge
(pictured below) told the RSL state
conference about further developments
– including an imminent change of
name to RSL Living and emergency
accommodation for homeless veterans.
Three rounds will be fired from the
25lb gun in Remembrance Park,
adjacent to the Villas at 10am.
There will be activities such as face
painting, book sales, RSL SA military
merchandise, entertainers, an animal
enclosure, bric-a-brac, wine tasting,
BBQ, Devonshire tea and food stalls.
STOLEN MEDALS
This dramatic report has been lodged
by Signal reader John Howard:
Medals awarded to 5805320 Corporal
A.P. Scott, for service in the Solomon
Islands in 2004, were snatched off his
chest during a march through Adelaide
in 2005. Reported to the police on the
day and enquiries made at RSL clubs –
but no luck.
Remember, a young soldier put his life
at risk to keep the peace overseas.
I would be very grateful for return of
the medals – no questions asked. I am
his father-in-law.
John Howard (RSL member, Largs Bay)
Unit 32, 9-15 Lonsdale Street,
Woodville North, South Australia 5012
Telephone 0447 768868
Operation K9
CABARET
Come to the cabaret. That’s the message
from two long-term partners in the fight
against stress-related illness.
The RSL and the Royal Society for the
Blind (RSB) are staging their Operation
K9 Cabaret at Morphettville Racecourse
on Saturday, October 17 (admission
from 7pm).
In addition, a ticket buys you a threecourse meal and drinks package along
with opportunities to take part in an
auction.
Money raised from the event goes to
the RSL-RSB’s Operation K9 program,
which trains assistance dogs for veterans
with incapacities arising from stress.
These dogs can transform a recipient’s
life. Says ex-commando Peter Checkley,
a veteran of Afghanistan deployment:
“Since being assigned my dog, Ruby,
I’ve got my life back. I can now get to
places that I used to find difficult.
She’s given me a focus.”
In a lead-up to the cabaret, assistance
dogs of the future have been on display
in Rundle Mall. Staff from the RSB
answered questions about their training
– and offered souvenir photographs
at $5 a shot. Georgia Maybank, from
Prospect, found Charlie the pup
irresistible and posed willingly (left) for
RSB staff photographer Kylie Bauer.
So, to support the training of Charlie
and his Operation K9 companions,
come to the cabaret.
Bookings through www.rsb.org.au
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17
Please join the RSL and Royal Society for the Blind as we celebrate
mateship and raise funds for our new program Operation K9
OCTOBER 2015 21
THE SIGNAL
Daronmont dogs
sponsorship a ‘perfect fit’
The RSL’s assistance dogs program Operation K9
has a new sponsor – Daronmont Technologies. It has
pledged $25,000 to the joint RSL-Royal Society for
the Blind (RSB) enterprise, under which dogs are
trained to ease veterans’ stress-related conditions.
The sum of $25,000 will cover the entire training costs of one dog.
Daronmont Technologies is a wholly Australian-owned defence
industry company. Located at Mawson Lakes, it specialises
in the design, engineering, integration and support of complex
high-technology electronics and software-intensive systems.
Ninety per cent of its business is generated in South Australia.
Sponsorship was sparked by a chance encounter at an industry
function. Daronmont chief executive Ben Norris met Gunner
Murray, the assistance dog posted to Royal Australian Artillery’s
16th Air Land Regiment at Woodside.
“I was hooked,” says Mr Norris. “Murray’s enthusiasm for his role
made me realise immediately that Operation K9 is a brilliant idea.
It’s the ideal cause for Daronmont to support.”
Partners in Operation K9: (left to right) RSB trainer Dave Bowman,
RSL chief executive Julia Langrehr and Daronmont CEO Ben Norris
meet Summer the assistance dog.
The RSL’s chief executive officer, Julia Langrehr, agrees: “We see
the RSL-RSB link with Daronmont as a perfect fit. This is a
classic example of a sophisticated and successful defence company
providing essential help to a vital welfare program for Armed
Services personnel.”
Rick Harley, a good mate
Many of you know Rick Harley, Partner at Hunt & Hunt Lawyers, through his tireless work with
RSL-SA for more than 15 years. He has also been a member of the State Board since 2010 and has
been the principal provider of legal services to the State Branch.
Some of you may not know that Rick was appointed as the National Solicitor for the RSL early in
2014 – a fitting acknowledgement of his long-standing association and passion for the RSL.
Rick Harley
Telephone +61 8 8414 3373
rharley@hunthunt.com.au
Rick is renowned for providing solutions-orientated advice on a wide range of commercial and
property matters and has been particularly valuable to the RSL sub-branches with his vast
knowledge and experience in Liquor Licensing and governance issues. Much of Rick’s work is
done on a pro-bono basis and he is certainly the type of bloke that is always responsive to his
clients’ needs and never too busy to help with some advice. Rick is ably supported by a team of
professionals at Hunt & Hunt, all keen to assist RSL-SA with expert advice and information.
He has a real love of AFL football with one of his sons, Tom Harley, being a very successful player
and captain for Geelong. A look around Rick’s office certainly displays the pride and passion for
his beloved Cats!
Rick’s appointment as National Solicitor has, in no way, limited his ability to continue to work
with and for RSL-SA. It is a great achievement for Rick, who has continued to support the growth
of the South Australian branch and personifies the values it stands for – passion, integrity and,
above all, mateship.
SYDNEY (CITY AND NORTH RYDE) | NEWCASTLE | MELBOURNE | BRISBANE | ADELAIDE | PERTH | HOBART | DARWIN | SHANGHAI
22 VOLUME 81
OCTOBER 2015 23
THE SIGNAL
RSL FAMILY... Sub-Branches...
Crystal Brook wins
major DVA grant
(Starclub development program Port
Pirie), a bid for $130,896 has been
approved in full.
Four years ago, things were decidedly
crook at Crystal Brook: the sub-branch
had just $80 in the bank and only four
active members. Plans were afoot to
bulldoze the building, level the site, sell
it, and end a chapter of service that had
stretched back to the very first days of
the RSL in South Australia.
Says Trish: “Our hall will now become
a new symbol for the honour we feel for
our brave defence forces. I see its future as
a community centre, with the RSL as its
custodians. We are helping to ensure that
we never forget.”
It took 12 months to research, compose,
and check the application, she says. This
impeccably designed initiative serves,
plainly, as an exemplar to sub-branches at
large faced with the challenges of survival
and restoration. Already, others are asking
the Crystal Brook team for advice on
what to say – and how to say it.
Campaign for gun has
Bute outcome
Successful grant applicant Trish Taylor with
husband Brian, who serves as volunteer
barman at the Crystal Brook RSL clubroom
The premises themselves were in a bad
way too: leaking roof, sub-standard
toilets, crumbling stonework.
With Ivan Venning (farmer and state
politician) as president, supported by
a hastily gathered leadership team, the
rescue campaign began in mid-2012.
“We set out to encourage everyone in the
district to consider joining the RSL,” says
Ivan, whose own commitment stems from
his 1960s national service. “Our decision
was that, to survive, the RSL had to
have an ‘open door’ policy. It’s all about
breaking the old-fashioned mould.”
As a result of that, membership grew
rapidly, topping 100 at the last count.
The RSL has become the social hub
of the Crystal Brook district.
And thanks now to a spectacularly
successful bid for a Department of
Veterans’ Affairs grant, a major building
renewal will soon be underway too.
Crafted by secretary Trish Taylor, with
expert help from Ana Teleke (DVA
Adelaide) and Marie-Therese Smith
24 VOLUME 81
When 39 decommissioned Howitzer field
guns were offered to RSL clubs around
the country, Bute fired back fast. Headed
by former president Dennis Murphy,
the sub-branch mounted a vigorous and
successful campaign. It took three years
and a purchase price of $3,587.
Through support from the Barunga West
Council and money from the ANZAC
Day Commemorative Fund, Bute’s gun
has now been installed at the midnorth town. Former state governor Rear
Admiral Kevin Scarce (pictured right of
frame) joined the past-president for the
dedication ceremony.
Gallipoli cutting for
Port memorial
Port MacDonnell now has a
commemorative garden (pictured above)
that features 33 plants – one for each
World War 1 veteran’s name inscribed
on its Sea Parade cenotaph. The mood
of remembrance is enhanced by a
surrounding hedge of rosemary. “It comes
from an original cutting brought home
from Gallipoli,” says RSL sub-branch
president Hayden Egan.
In a classic demonstration of commercial
and community harmony, Masters, the
home improvements store at nearby
Mount Gambier, donated plants and
installed shade cloth for the project.
Names right at last on
Darwin cenotaph
For many years Darwin RSL was
aware of errors in the World War 1
names engraved on its cenotaph.
So investigations were begun, as RSL
president Don Milford explains:
“In 2014 Darwin RSL undertook research
to validate the names of those who were
killed in action or died of wound upon
return to Australia. The result of this
research indicated an additional 15 names
were to be added to the cenotaph.”
The validation process involved checking
that the men listed had been living in
the NT for three months prior to
embarkation, and – in the instance of
dying of wounds – that death had
occurred within a period of two years and
three months after the war’s end.
The amended list of names has been cast
in bronze on three plaques and placed on
the eastern face.
RSL FAMILY NEWS
Auxiliaries... and Associations
Betty soldiers on
for gold at Orroroo
Women have kept the RSL flame alive
as long as possible at Orroroo. When the
sub-branch itself ceased operations in
2001 because of declining membership,
the woman’s auxiliary – with Betty Cox as
one of its leaders – soldiered on for several
years. Eventually, it too had to close.
But Betty’s work has now been formally
recognised. Prominent RSL identities
Frank and Dierdre Owen took the
trouble to drive up from Adelaide to
present her with a certificate of merit and
gold badge; Dierdre (pictured right
of frame) performed the investiture.
Mount Gambier:
death of former
president
Robert (‘Bob’) Winterfield, who has
died aged 70, was a stalwart of the Mount
Gambier RSL sub-branch as a former
president and long-serving committee
member. He worked in a variety of
rural occupations (millhand, farmhand,
rousabout) before his call-up for National
Service in 1965.
Posted to Vietnam with 5RAR, Bob
suffered knee and leg wounds in a Viet
Cong booby trap. Back home in southeast SA, he bought some land, ran a pig
farm, and then started his own fencing,
handyman, and mechanical business.
His second marriage, to Margaret, saw
the creation of a partnership that worked
long and hard for RSL initiatives in
Mount Gambier. Both held office within
the sub-branch for many years.
… Alan’s life membership
Betty’s long and faithful record of service
includes, in particular, intensive archiving
of RSL records.
The certificate and badge is the highest
honour that can be bestowed on a
non-member.
ANZAC theme a
media winner
ABC producer Lincoln Tyner has been
formally recognised for his 30 years at
the helm of ANZAC Day telecasts. In the
latest Catholic Archdiocese media prize
list, he has won the St Mary MacKillop
award for ‘outstanding contribution’
to the communication industry.
The ANZAC theme inspired another
winner, Messenger Community News, for
‘best series of print articles’ with its World
War 1 series 100 Stories in 100 Days.
Alan Longbotham’s dedicated service at
Mount Gambier has been rewarded with
life membership. He was president for
two years, and logged another seven years
on the committee.
A former petty officer in the RAN, on
discharge he devoted much of his time to
the Navy Cadets – first as an instructor
at Renmark and then as Executive Officer
at TS Gambier.
… inventive social
Mount Gambier RSL attracted 130 guests
to its Dirty Dick’s Theatre Restaurant.
Cast as ‘serving wenches’ (left to right),
Chloe, Michelle, and Janelle added an
authentic touch to the dining experience.
UNISA MILITARY
HISTORY SYMPOSIUM
‘Narratives of War’
November 19, 20
Expert speakers on historical
and current conflicts
Free Admission (Magill Campus)
ENQUIRIES:
kerry.green@unisa.edu.au
Terry Briscoe:
champion for the
disabled
The RSL family
has lost one of its
finest members with
the death, at 89, of
Terry Briscoe (left).
On 24 April, 1944,
shortly after his
eighteenth birthday,
Terry enlisted in the
Australian Army.
He served overseas
alongside Lieutenant Tom ‘Diver’
Derrick VC DCM in the 2/48th Infantry
Battalion in Borneo, including the Battle
of Tarakan, before volunteering for the
occupation of Japan from February 1946
to June 1947.
He dedicated much of his later years to
the service of veterans. For four years,
Terry was a member of the psychiatry
consumer carer advisory group for
Ward 17 of the Repatriation General
Hospital. Subsequently, he was appointed
as the veterans’ member and later elected
as the deputy chairperson of the hospital’s
consumer council.
In 2003, Terry joined the Extremely
Disabled War Veterans Association and
in 2007 was elected to the combined
offices of president and secretary.
He proved to be a passionate advocate
on behalf of not only World War 2 era
veterans and their families but also
younger veterans.
OCTOBER 2015 25
THE SIGNAL
ENTITLEMENTS
Bike brotherhood building business
Open the throttle – the Military Brotherhood’s entitlements service is picking up the
pace. As announced in the last Signal, welfare officers within the motorcycle enthusiasts’
ranks are now offering regular consultations at the Colonel Light Gardens RSL clubrooms
(Mondays and Thursdays 9.30am – 12.30pm, no appointment required).
Brotherhood president
Graham (‘Ruddy’) Rudd
(pictured foreground
with wife Bernadette)
reports: “We’ve had our
first drop-in consultations
and made some hospital
visits. We’re in business.”
Their consultants all have
a military background
and – as our group
photograph shows –
are richly endowed with
impetus and drive.
A u s t r alia’s O n l y Full y A u t o ma t i c To il e t
NOW available in Australia is the
ultimate in personal hygiene products.
The throne fully automatic toilet that will
fit in any new or renovated bathroom.
The key features of this amazing toilet
are: TANKLESS (there is no cistern on or
in the wall). The toilet operates on mains
pressure. This allows a much cleaner
and modern bathroom design.
AUTO FLUSH after you have finished your
visit, the throne toilet will automatic
flush for you.
Some of the other benefits you will
experience are: A heated seat, soft close
lid, and on some models you will get a
warm water wash and a warm air dry.
Local 08 8423 0143
National 1300 243 387
Auto Flush
Heated Seat
Warm Air Dr y
Sof t Close Lid
Warm Water Wash
26 VOLUME 81
The Princess model will also
automatically open and close the lid.
The Throne toilet is very simple to install
and is available in P and S trap.
Contact the Bidet Shop to find your
local reseller Local 08 8423 0143
or National 1300 243 387
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OCTOBER 2015 27
THE SIGNAL
RSL BOOKSHELF
...
latest Signal reading recommendations
Shot Down
This is a classic autobiographical account of life in
German prison camp during World War 2. What
makes it a touch unusual, though, is that the author
has waited 70 years to tell his story. Alex Kerr, from
Perth, was a graduate of the first Empire Air Training
Scheme intake. In May 1941, on his fourth operation
as a Wellington bomber pilot, Alex was shot down
over Hamburg. Badly wounded, he was unable to drag
himself into the escape hatch; the rear gunner saved his
life by pushing him from the burning aircraft. Over the
next four years, he studied for a university degree – and
took part in three escape attempts. On the third, from
the infamous ‘POW Long March’, he succeeded.
Returning to civilian life, Alex married and had five
children. He pursued an academic career, ultimately
becoming a professor and deputy vice-chancellor
of Murdoch University. The text draws heavily from
the secret diary that he kept while a prisoner –
and impresses the reader as both enlightening and
authentic accordingly.
Prison camp concert (with an improvised ‘leading
lady’); the author is kneeling, second from right
Author: Alex Kerr
Publisher: Big Sky
Price: $24.99
The Nurse of the Mediterranean
Malta, the island nation decorated for its World War 2 gallantry under bombardment, had achieved another
distinction long beforehand – for its role in World War 1 as ‘Nurse of the Mediterranean’. The soubriquet
sprang from its care for casualties from the Gallipoli campaign. At first, they were evacuated to Egypt –
but it soon became apparent that facilities there could not cope with the growing number. Malta, therefore,
was chosen for this critical role. Nearly 58,000 were evacuated there during 1915; in one week alone, more
than 6,000 Gallipoli casualties were taken to the island for treatment.
This commemorative book, published by the RSL Maltese sub-branch in Adelaide, is richly illustrated
and offers detailed information on casualties. It has been compiled by Frank Scicluna, honorary consul for
Malta in SA.
Purchase information: $25 plus postage through Charles Farrugia (sub-branch president)
cfarrugia@internode.on.net or Frank Scicluna (consul) honconsul@live.com.au
From Freeling To Fromelles
In another enterprising home-grown publishing venture, Chris Collins recounts the World War 1 exploits of
soldiers from the Freeling district. He has researched the histories of 86 such men; 15 of them were killed in
action, and 27 wounded. The author has told a local newspaper that his motivation for writing the book was
this: “While there is abundant information regarding the range of campaigns in which our service personnel
fought, there is precious little about the input of individual combatants and details of their post-war lives.” He
saw a need to acknowledge an aspect of the Freeling region’s history that until now has been largely ignored.
The text highlights Fromelles because it was there that Australian forces sustained notably heavy losses: 5,513
casualties in a single night (July 19-20, 1916).
Purchase information: $10 plus $2 postage through Freeling RSL, PO Box 516, Freeling 5372
All proceeds go to the Freeling sub-branch.
Note: These books are listed for the interest of The Signal readers – but they are not available through the RSL (SA/NT).
Summaries of their themes were obtained from the publishers.
28 VOLUME 81
THE SIGNAL
New family member has a female touch
There could soon be a new sub-branch in the RSL family – and this one would specialise in women’s issues. Preliminary
meetings, aimed at building membership and formalising the structure, have been held already. One such meeting,
in the St Morris clubrooms (below), drew eleven potential recruits. The word since has spread. “It looks as if they’re
going to have enough joining up to meet sub-branch requirements,” says Julia Langrehr, the RSL’s CEO (SA/NT).
The group hope to develop advocacy, support networks, and advice mechanisms – all with a female emphasis –
when required. “Men would still be welcome to join, though,” Ms Langrehr adds. Enquiries to: admin@rslsa.org.au
Chronic disease
or injury?
We can help.
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Angle Park
SA 5010
OCTOBER 2015 29
THE SIGNAL
THE LAST POST
NUMBER
NAME
DATE
NUMBER
NAME
DATE
25701
J Addicoat
4/08/2015
SX33722
M Hay
16/06/2015
SX28184
K Addison
10/08/2015
92114
M Healy
16/06/2015
PA3646
R Anderson
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97S
V Helgeson
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4/1543
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6/07/2015
PA4991
M Hennessy
11/07/2015
114710
J Barritt
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153976
F Heyer
13/06/2015
4/708079
B Bates
14/08/2015
22562992
K Himsworth
9/08/2015
SX35496
K Bockman
13/06/2015
14682645
T Hinks
21/06/2015
4/712912
C Bodey
4/07/2015
8203473
J Hobbs
17/06/2015
F495002
M Boyle
13/07/2015
432324
D Hoffmann
26/06/2015
SF84686
S Braithwaite
7/08/2015
WX702
C Holland
30/05/2015
417044
M Brand
16/06/2015
2624139
A Horne
11/07/2015
SX33560
T Briscoe
23/06/2015
14337301
S Howarth
20/07/2015
SX23517
F Broadbent
2/08/2015
P/KX144228
W Howes
8/07/2015
153203
R Butler
18/07/2015
SX2682
R Hutton
13/06/2015
SX2095
E Byrne
18/07/2015
17322
R James
20/06/2015
S14491
W Cameron
20/07/2015
39447
J Jenssen
19/07/2015
SX17192
C Chittleborough
5/07/2015
PA4066
K Johnson
13/07/2015
F25028
M Cook
26/07/2015
PA2950
W Jones
17/06/2015
A116797
W Coyer
19/08/2015
SX39096
L Kaesler
9/06/2015
SX29407
R Crawford
27/06/2015
SF6488
O Keddie
19/08/2015
40454
J Cutajar
24/08/2015
SX25065
N Keech
12/07/2015
SX39947
M Dabinett
4/07/2015
FX113736
J Large
6/06/2015
41911
M Davies
5/07/2015
313435
F Lenord
17/07/2015
PA4756
W Delaney
29/07/2015
115154
R Leviton
25/06/2015
4905026
G Dennis
1/07/2015
VX69785
R Lipman
4/07/2015
122461
S Dennis
3/06/2015
VX134760
R Lukins
9/06/2015
49770
R Dodson
26/07/2015
SX27001
A Macksad
18/07/2015
3134000
J Dunbar
2/07/2015
SX35346
W McDonald
3/06/2015
22798192
L Earl
15/08/2015
14859186
J McDonnell
25/08/2015
1819411
W Edgar
21/08/2015
C/KX657614
W McIlwaine
8/06/2015
R318597
T Evans
19/08/2015
122065
P McNamara
14/08/2015
A41883
R Faulkner
21/06/2015
91695
J McPherson
8/07/2015
SX13533
R Ferguson
18/06/2015
442578
A McRae
4/07/2015
A46229
P Fernandez
25/08/2015
140 STLAG X1B351 B Milek
14/08/2015
VX121239
D Flynn
19/08/2015
442989
A Millikan
24/06/2015
434153
E Ford
19/08/2015
SX26416
T Milne
8/07/2015
43650
J Forrest
26/07/2015
141416
J Morison
22/06/2015
133027
P Gaughwin
26/07/2015
PA3201
R Mousley
6/07/2015
5/703154
N Glass
21/06/2015
R36388
G Mullins
20/07/2015
9719292
A Good
22/07/2015
SX30671
J Mustan
24/07/2015
442761
J Grant
23/06/2015
S82907
L Nagy
20/08/2015
47057
M Gully
19/06/2015
31141
A Napper
9/08/2015
19001131
D Haggar
22/08/2015
SX28443
J Neale
23/08/2015
114833
D Hanisch
10/08/2015
VX21200
C Newton
31/07/2015
416961
W Harris
9/08/2015
S112357
A Nitschke
26/05/2015
30 VOLUME 81
THE LAST POST
Lest we forget
NUMBER
NAME
DATE
NUMBER
NAME
DATE
22490825
G Nixon
7/06/2015
23243345
D Thomas
19/08/2015
A41377
D Noblet
4/08/2015
437885
R Thomas
17/08/2015
3/4217
J O’Connor
20/08/2015
19077829
R Titterton
20/06/2015
S31510
M O’Loghlen
31/07/2015
A4193
H Treeby
25/08/2015
SX21054
F Osborne
16/08/2015
US56197141
D Tucker
21/08/2015
P/SKX790464
E Osland
1/07/2015
422225
G Ulstrup
1/06/2015
S114652
C Otto
25/07/2015
240713001
H Vermeulen
9/07/2015
LT/KX167031
G Owens
14/08/2015
PA3615
R Waples
8/07/2015
3974563
F Payne-Ross
17/06/2015
4/1130
J Waters
8/07/2015
SX10776
L Penley
25/06/2015
415070
J Wendt
14/08/2015
134658
L Percival
5/08/2015
4700145
T Wheaton
27/06/2015
46048
B Plumb
13/07/2015
19034447
A Whittle
9/07/2015
13157
L Pullen
24/07/2015
4161
J Wilson
2/07/2015
PA5129
D Purser
15/07/2015
4717641
R Winterfield
18/06/2015
SX18067
F Quinn
29/07/2015
SX25814
R Wood
3/07/2015
SF84085
L Ramage
10/07/2015
W/376969
K Randall
1/07/2015
31680
R Rathjen
22/07/2015
SX37218
R Rawlings
6/08/2015
R107885
C Renshaw
14/07/2015
PA4953
L Riley
31/05/2015
DMX783007
J Robins
1/06/2015
SX34107
G Robinson
12/06/2015
SX7377
W Robinson
5/08/2015
914845
P Rogers
5/06/2015
SX34156
C Roocke
6/08/2015
45803
W Rowe
25/06/2015
SX19901
G Schenscher
2/07/2015
SX38266
T Schultz
18/07/2015
S57050
P Schwarz
15/06/2015
4/1391
K Seiboth
16/06/2015
437061
R Selth
6/06/2015
84863
L Simpson
31/07/2015
SX18024
C Smith
23/07/2015
153756
D Smith
17/07/2015
S114368
G Smith
2/07/2015
140788
L Smith
25/08/2015
SF113368
L Smith
25/06/2015
107687
N Spicer
9/06/2015
SX25041
M Springbett
10/08/2015
4/703212
P Staude
3/07/2015
414828
C Steele
29/07/2015
SX29802
C Sutton
6/07/2015
154167
J Swensen
5/08/2015
NF443403
M Thelning
25/07/2015
2015 RSL POPPY APPEAL
Red poppies bloomed amid the devastation of the World War 1
battlefields in France and Belgium. They seemed to symbolise
the bloodshed.
That symbolism was enhanced by the publication, in
December 1915, of the poem In Flanders Fields. Written by a
Canadian medical officer, John McCrae, it appeared in Punch
magazine – establishing the poppy, ever since, as the emblem
of public remembrance.
Our annual Poppy Appeal contributes significantly to the
fundraising work of the RSL. The money raised is used to assist
current and former members of the Defence forces, and their
dependants, when in need. The RSL encourages all Australians
to purchase a poppy and ‘Remember in November’.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
John McCrae 1915
The 2015 Poppy
Appeal will include
collections at major
sporting events –
notably the SAJC
Poppy Race Day,
Morphettville
(November 7)
OCTOBER 2015 31
ANZAC House, Torrens Training Depot, Victoria Drive, Adelaide South Australia 5000
Telephone 8100 7300 www.rslsa.org.au