RETURNED and SERVICES LEAGUE of AUSTRALIAEPPING RSL SUB-BRANCH

ROUTINE ORDERSVol 18 No 1 January - March 2015President: John K Curdie OAM. Treasurer: Max Falconer MBE Secretary: John Prestidge RFD ED 45-47 Rawson Street, Epping 2121 Telephone 02 9868 3272

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENTThis year, 2015, we will

continue to remember thosemany events from World War1 in which Australia’s DefenceForce, predominantlycomprising the first AIF, wereinvolved. Many of the battles,skirmishes and confrontations

saw the atrocities of war which cost the lives ofthousands of our diggers, falling as they faced theenemy. Perhaps the single battle that will attract theemotions of the population will be the 100th

anniversary of the Gallipoli landing by the ANZACforces on 25th April 1915.

2015 will also see the 99th anniversary of theReturned and Services League of Australia, whichoriginated as a welfare group set up by the returningdiggers in support of their mates coming home fromthat “war to end all wars”. Many of them weresavaged in body and mind, and needed help in comingto terms with a new world and adjusting to their life ina free society. RSL membership continued to swellas veterans from the Second World War joined theLeague seeking support for themselves and theirimmediate families.

The RSL today has morphed with the changes insociety and now with its established structure, wellsupported in material assets, continues to serve andassist serving and ex-service members. The successof the RSL is today being limited by the lack ofmembers. From serving and ex-service members ofthe defence forces, including Reservists, CMF and

National Servicemen, more than a million Australianswho are eligible to become Service Members of theRSL have not joined. Further, under recently amendedmembership conditions, there could be a further 4million entitled to Affiliate Membership of the League.Make 2015 a membership growth year. The largerthe number of members, the greater will be the supportfor our defence forces and our local community.

Just a few days before Christmas all Australianswere horrified to learn of the events in Martin Place,Sydney: of the action of a gunman who murdered twohostages from a group of Sydneysiders who were onlygoing about their normal daily tasks. The trauma ofthis event as it unfolded over the hours gripped ournation as well as members of the internationalcommunity.

Much of the media reported that this event was afirst such attack by a terrorist upon our nation. Hadthey read the last issue of “Routine Orders” they wouldhave known that, 100 years ago, on 1 January 1915,terrorists killed and injured unarmed passengers on atrain at Broken Hill.

In our determination for a continuance of peace,what we have learned from those events of onehundred years ago and of the recent massacre inMartin Place is that the enemy is not always facingyou; he can also be beside you.

The RSL motto is as relevant today as it has beenfor the last 99 years; “The price of liberty is eternalvigilance”.

John K CurdieJohn K CurdieJohn K CurdieJohn K CurdieJohn K Curdie OAM(Sub-Branch President)

ANZAC DAY SERVICES Sunday 12 April 1400 ANZAC Sunday Service at The Epping Club followed by a march to Boronia Park Cenotaph for wreath laying. Saturday 25 April ANZAC Day Dawn Service at Forest Park. Assemble at 0545 cnr Epping and Blaxland Roads for march to Forest Park for 0600 Service

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MEMBERSHIP MATTERSVALE “WE WILL REMEMBER THEM”During the months of September 2014 - January 2015 advice has been received of the passing of thefollowing members:

NAME RANK SERVICE UNIT SERVICE NUMBER

DATE JOINED

DATE DECEASED

HENESS Kevin Glanvill

LCPL ARMY 17/18 BN 2777481 19/12/2006 09/07/2014

O’BRIEN Robert William

BDR ARMY 12 NS32 HEAVY REGT

2738547 04/11/1998 15/09/2014

FORSYTH (nee SCOTT) Ella Joyce

PTE ARMY AWAS NF443404 20/12/2000 07/11/2014

STINSON Judith Mary

SGT ARMY 3 RANC Coy 2 RANC Trg Unit

F21182 22/07/1995 26/11/2014

ESCOTT (Alexander) Keith

PTE ARMY 2/4 AUST PIONEER BN

NX10231 01/01/1956

KAYESS Lindsay John

SSGT ARMY BCOF QX700184 18/01/1982 04/12/2014

FLETCHER Allan William

PTE ARMY 3 ORDNANCE VEHICLE PARK AAOC

NX68091 20/02/1967 24/09/2014

STUNTZ John

WO RAAF 4 AIRCREW HOLDING UNIT

436387 26/08/1965 02/08/2014

DALRYMPLE Roy Stephen

WO1 ARMY BCOF, 1 RAR, 2 RAR

VX97492 33129

12/01/2000 14/12/2014

FISHER Arthur John

CAPT ARMY 2 RAR 28437 11/06/2002 19/04/2014

FORRESTER Cleaver Alexander

FLTLT RAAF No 1 AIRCRAFT DEPOT

255143 24/01/1989 27/01/2010

AT EVENTIDE(Translated from the Norwegian)

Re-written and revised by Bert Warne

Too many old folks sadly wait,Having outlived their last dear mate;Darby has gone or is it Joan?And one must linger all aloneAt eventide.

The sun has dropped the brightness fled,The charm of life is past and dead;Young people do not comprehend,Or are, it seems, too busy to attendOld folks at Eventide.

The hair is white the shoulders bow,The tide of life flows past them now;But, oh, their love through life’s long day,By care for them we should repayAt Eventide.

Life’s shadows o’er them softly creep,Hastening their last long sleep;But while there’s time before they go,Our grateful love we now should showAt their Eventide.

So let us tenderly revere,And hold our aged ones most dear;Be good to them and God will sendSomeone, OUR falling steps to ‘tendAt our Eventide.

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EPPING RSL SUB-BRANCHMEETINGS

The September General Meeting was attendedby 46 members and 4 visitors. Guest speaker wasRoger Williams from NSW State LIbrary.

The October General Meeting was attended by53 members and 5 visitors. Affiliate MembershipAplication from Lloyd Heness was approved by themeeting. John Curdie delivered a very interestingpresentation on Commemoration of the Dam Busters.

The November General Meeting was attended by42 members and 6 visitors. Members wereentertained with a video.

Next Speakers:Monday 2 February 2015 (January Monthly

Meeting) Linda Brown, T.J.Andrews, “The UnknownSoldier”

Contributions for inclusion in ROUTINE ORDERS,such as forward activities, interesting personal notesetc. are always welcome. Items for the next issue onMonday 30 March 2015 are required before Saturday21 March 2015. Earlier would be appreciated.Electronic copy preferred if possible.Routine Orders Editor Barry Hoschkebhoschke@tpg.com.au

Monday 23 February 2015 Annual GeneralMeeting

Monday 30 March 2015 Hon. Andrew Tink,“Arthur Phillip”

EPPING RSL SUB-BRANCH DATES FOR YOUR DIARY: JANUARY 2015 – MARCH 2015

JANUARY 2015 Thursday 08 RSL Old and Bold Association 1300 (note that the first Thursday in January is the Australia Day Public Holiday) Monday 12 RSL sub-Branch Committee Meeting 0930 Wed. 21 Epping War Widows & Eastwood Legacy Widows Club 1330 FEBRUARY 2015 Monday 02 sub-Branch January General Meeting due to 1930 Australia Day being on Monday 26 January Tuesday 03 RSL Senior Members Association –Annual General Meeting 1400 Thursday 05 RSL Old and Bold Association 1300 Monday 09 RSL sub-Branch Committee Meeting 0930 Wed. 18 Epping War Widows & Eastwood Legacy Widows Club 1330 Monday 23 Epping RSL sub-Branch Monthly General Meeting 1930 followed by Annual General Meeting Tuesday 24 RSL Senior Members Association Committee Meeting 1000 MARCH 2015 Monday 03 RSL Senior Members Association – General Monthly Meeting 1400 Thursday 05 RSL Old and Bold Association 1300 Monday 09 Epping RSL sub-Branch Committee Meeting 0930 Tuesday 10 RSL Senior Members Association Day Trip 0900 Wed. 18 Epping War Widows & Eastwood Legacy Widows Club 1330 Monday 30 Epping RSL sub-Branch Monthly General Meeting 1930 Tuesday 31 RSL Senior Members Association Committee Meeting 1000

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EPPING RSL SUB-BRANCH HOSPITAL VISITATIONS

The members listed below perform a great service to the sub-Branch by maintaining close liaison with members when they are not well, and when they have to go to hospital. They also maintain contact with those with more extended problems who spend time in Nursing Homes etc.

Roster for the Period: January 2015 – April 2015

Name Telephone Number Week Commencing

Don Campton Deidre de Costa Merril Prestidge Doug Small Ian Kirkham Henry Jones Allan Lotfizadeh David Leece Paul Kim Don Campton Deidre de Costa Merril Prestidge Doug Small Ian Kirkham Henry Jones Allan Lotfizadeh David Leece

9871 2025 9876 1033 9871 1617 8801 1435 9876 6075 9858 4857 9652 0590 9484 8456 9872 5771 9871 2025 9876 1033 9871 1617 8801 1435 9876 6075 9858 4857 9652 0590 9484 8456

January 04 January 11 January 18 January 25 February 01 February 08 February 15 February 22 March 01 March 08 March 15 March 22 March 29 April 05 April 12 April 19 April 26

Home Contacts – Deidre de Costa 9876 1033

Funerals – Robin Cummins, Welfare Officer 9680 4865

It would be appreciated if members when discharged would notify the Welfare Officer (9680 4865) to avoid the Hospital Visiting Team making unnecessary trips. Remember some places involve travelling considerable distances. Additions to the team are always welcome.

I was very scared about going to the eye doctorto get a certain procedure done on my eyes. Thedoctor tried to put me at ease but to no avail. It wasafter he finished with my first eye that I nearly jumpedout of the chair. “There there”, he said “only one eyeleft!”

Doctor: “I am not exactly sure of the cause. I thinkit could be due to alcohol.”Patient: “That’s OK. I will come back when youare sober.”

Did you hear about the guy who lost his whole leftside?

He’s alright now!

SENIOR MEMBERS ASSOCIATION

President: Merril Prestidge Vice President: Nancy Wood Secretary: Margaret CumminsTreasurer: Deirdre Curdie Tours coordinator: Deidre de CostaCommittee Members: Malcolm Ford, Don Campton, Don Greentree and Brenda Greentree.Patron: W. Joice

Happy New Year to you allNow where has the year gone? 2015 already!I hope this year will be as good to us as last year, this being our 40th year of operation.Deidre has some more interesting trips already lined up for us to attend and I am working on securing

speakers that will please you (I hope).Our first meeting for the year will be the 3rd of February which will be also our AGM with all positions

vacant.Our first trip for the year will be on the 10th of March to the Prince Henry Hospital Museum.Hoping to see you all back with us on those dates all hale and hearty.Yours in friendship and enjoyment

Merril Prestidge President

Meetings: Monthly General Meetings First Tuesday in month at 1400, except for Melbourne Cup DayCommittee Meetings: Last Tuesday in month at 1000

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OLD & BOLD ASSOCIATIONPresident: S van Emden Secretary: D Taylor

It’s a feeling felt by many young Australians as Anzac Day approaches, the perennial debate about Gallipolire-ignites. Questions are raised about its place in our history and indeed our national psyche.

Critics decry a defeat, turned into a victory. Experts say it was in the trenches among the death and miseryof war, fighting under various State banners, that our national identity was born.

We don’t have any WW1 vets now but we still carry on in Epping, a group first formed by WW1 vetscalled the “Old & Bold”. Come along and enjoy the company of like-minded members who enjoy thecompany and stories from another time.

All welcome - bring your partners too!DRINKS & NIBBLES PROVIDED.

Sheila Van Emden, President

A man was telling his neighbor, “I just bought anew hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars,but it’s state of the art. It’s perfect.”

”Really,” answered the neighbor. “What kind isit?”

”Twelve thirty.”

An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problemsfor a number of years.

He went to the doctor and the doctor was able tohave him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowedthe gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentlemanwent back in a month to the doctor and the doctorsaid, “Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be reallypleased you can hear again.”

To which the gentleman said, “Oh, I haven’t toldmy family yet. I just sit around and listen to theconversations. I’ve changed my will five times!”

Light travels faster than sound. That’s why somepeople appear bright until you hear them speak.

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GRANNY SMITH DAY CLUBGranny Smith Day club, sponsored by Epping

RSL Sub-Branch, convenes every Friday at theEpping Uniting Church hall, corner Oxford andChester Streets, Epping between 10.00 am and 2.00pm. The Day Club will commence in 2015 with ourfirst meeting to be held on Friday, 6th February.

Granny Smith Day Club is a community-basedweekly program for men and women, both veteransand non-veterans. It keeps people interested andinvolved, and provides an opportunity for socialcontact outside the home for those who may besocially isolated due to age and/or frailty. As well asan extensive range of worthwhile activities, morningtea/coffee, a healthy lunch and a dessert are servedto our members.

The Club is conducted by a welcoming and cheerfulgroup of volunteers who organise gentle exercises,movies, music, speakers, Bingo, quizzes, visits fromschool children and their teachers, theme and nostalgiadays, and occasional excursions. February’sstimulating range of events range from the tried, testedand much-enjoyed ‘music man’, Dale Ryan, to a moviemorning, and also a speaker, Michael Brereton, whowas a counsellor at Long Bay Jail.

This April, we celebrate our 32nd birthday lunch atThe Epping Club, an event which all the membersand volunteers look forward to. Each year, TheEpping Club hosts us for our birthday and Christmaslunches and we are truly thankful for all their support.

We are also extremely grateful for all the helpEpping RSL Sub-Branch has provided unstintinglysince 1983. Other Day Clubs are not as fortunate aswe are!

A contribution of $ 5.00 is requested each Fridaythat ‘Grannys’ is attended. We do ask that membersshow consistent attendance to benefit from events andexcursions.

If you, a friend or family member would likeadditional information on becoming a member or avolunteer, or would just like to visit one Friday, pleasecontact the Co-ordinator, Caroline Pierotti on 98764443 or email caroline.pierotti@yahoo.com, or callDeputy Co-ordinator, John Roddy on 9874 4742.

We look forward to assisting you with anyinquiries.

BAYONETS 1914-1918Sheila Van Emden

Oh, the Cavalry have lancesAnd the Gunner takes his chancesWith the shrapnel and the hungry, howling shell,But us vulgar, low rapscallionsOf the Infantry battalionsHave only got our bayonets, short as hell!

Now, the Signaller acts haughtyTapping keys a restful forty –Or for preference eighty miles behind the fightBut he’s not so condescendingWhen his front line wire he’s mendingAnd he’s counting on our stumpy bayonet’s might.

See the A.S.C. come draggingThrough the mud, his ration wagon(And as like as not a swigging of our rum);Like Ben Hur he rides all cocky,Because our bayonets, short and stockyGuard his biscuits, bully beef and tins of plum.

When the Pioneer is riggingWire entanglements or diggingAll along the ghostly capes at dead of night,If a sudden flare detects himWho’s the champion who protects him?Why, our rusted, stunted bayonets flashing white.

Because, the Staff and guns and horsesAnd the hundred other forcesAre amazingly imposing everyone,But as history has told youIt’s the common garden soldierCarves the victory with that toothpick on his gun.

It’s an ancient, humble weapon,But it keeps the foe a steppin’Pretty lively when he spots its wicked gleam,And his coves who most respect it –His own Bayonet men, the backbone of his team.

So, although he don’t wear feathersOn his hat nor fancy leathersOn his britches like the horse and gunners do,Just remember it’s his wieldingOf that bit of steel means shieldingFrom invasion for the likes of me and you.

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Statue pays tribute to VC winners and…Albert, one hell of a man

Tahlia McPherson, The Border Mail,

Friday, November 7, 2014

An Australian-first memorial was unveiled in Alburyon National Flag Day yesterday to pay tribute to 100of Australia’s war heroes.

The Lieutenant Albert Borella VC Memorial at thePeards Complex on Borella Road contains the namesof the 100 Victorian Cross recipients from the past115 years.

Twenty five members of the Borella familyattended.

Lieutenant Borella’s son Rowan Chalmers-Borellawas proudly wearing his father’s original VictoriaCross medal when giving an emotional address at theceremony.

“Everything from the chin straps to the shoelacesis all spot on and it shows exactly what Dad wouldhave worn,” he said.

“I look at the fact that I’ve got great-grandchildrenhere and in a few years’ time they will be able to comealong and see the statue and it will mean just as muchto them then as it does to me now.”

The memorial took two years to put together fromplanning to completion and was funded by PeardsBorella Road Nursery owner George Benyon andhis wife Debra.

“We are extremely proud to honour this heroicAustralian citizen,” Mr Benyon said.

The statue of Lieutenant Borella was unveiled byVictoria Cross recipient Keith Payne and Chalmers-Borella.

It was sculpted by 28-year-old Paul Smith.City of Albury RSL sub-Branch president and

former Vietnam veteran Cr Graham Dockseyoversaw the project and said it was a symbol of whatAustralia’s were about.

“When you think about that when he (Borella)wanted to enlist in World War 1, he rode for 14 dayson horseback in the Northern Territory to go toDarwin, to catch a ship to come down to Brisbanejust to enlist,” Cr Docksey said.

“That’s one hell of a man.“Our national flag flies proudly and reminds us all

that freedom is not free, and the members of the ADFpast, present and future have and will continue to fightto keep this flying for all Australians.”

Victoria Cross recipient Keith Payne said thememorial was of national significance and he wouldlike to see an association of Victoria Crossdescendants formed before all the recipients died.

“The younger generation now can see somethingpositive that reminds them of the Victoria Cross andthe sacrifice that was given by the generation beforethem to look after Australia,” Mr Payne said.

“There are only four Victoria Cross recipientsremaining in Australia out of 100.”

Albury mayor Kevin Mack, Farrer MP SussanLey, member for Albury Greg Aplin and councillorsAlice Glachan, Patricia Gould and Ross Jacksonattended.

TIMELINE OF AUSTRALIANMILITARY INVOLVEMENT

South African War (Boer War) 1899-1902China (Boxer Rebellion) 1900-1901First World War 1914-1918Second World War 1939-1945Occupation of Japan 1946-1952Korean War 1950-1953Malayan Emergency 1948-1960Indonesian Confrontation 1963-1966Vietnam War 1962-1975Iraq, First Gulf War 1991Afghanistan 2001-2014Iraq, Second Gulf War 2003-2009Peacekeeping Operations 1947-Present

Daughter: Mummy, what’s it like to have the mostawesome daughter in the world?Mother: I don’t know, ask your grandmother.

A recent study has found that women who carry alittle extra weight live longer than the men whomention it.

As I watched the dog chasing his tail I thought“Dogs are easily amused.” Then I realised that Iwas watching the dog chase his tail.

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EPPING RSL SUB-BRANCH MEMORIAL PATHWAY

Those who attend remembrance services at the Epping RSL Commemorative area in Boronia Park Epping will be aware that the centre feature of that area is the memorial pathway which connects the car park area off Rawson Street Epping to Victoria Avenue Epping. This pathway is comprised of brick pavers that can be engraved with the name and service details of a family or relative that has served in Australian Defence Forces or that of an Australian Ally.

Since its construction in 2006, this pathway has become an historical monument which now records into posterity in a personal and permanent mode, family members or loved ones who have served their nation from the time of the Boer War in 1901 up to the present day.

With the centenary commemorations of events of World War 1 currently in our focus now may be a good opportunity to place a paver to the memory of a family member, friend that served in the Great War of 1914-18

As members of the Epping RSL sub-Branch you are entitled to subscribe to this memorial and you can now order a single paver or a double paver. It is planned that all new pavers will be in place ready for the dedication by Anzac Day commemorative services in April 2015.

The cost of these pavers is $40 for a single paver or $75 for a double paver. The application forms for pavers are available from the secretary at the sub Branch Office

PLACE ORDERS BEFORE THE END OF FEBRUARY.AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT BY ORDERING EARLY.

NEW LOOK VETERANS’ AFFAIRSWEBSITE LAUNCHED

Media Release VA105, 18 December 2014Improving access to information in an easy to

navigate format has guided the re-development andimprovement of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs(DVA) website which was launched today by theMinister for Veterans’ Affairs, Senator the Hon.Michael Ronaldson. Through a single online entrypoint, DVA clients of all ages can access all theinformation they need about compensation, health careand financial support in just a few simple clicks.Information about commemoration, educationalresources, grants and other services is also availableonline. As the importance of communicating throughonline channels continues to grow, DVA has developeda website that improves the way veterans and their

families can access the information, support andservices they need. The website re-developmentfollows consultation with veterans, current servingAustralian Defence Force (ADF) members and theex-service community. The website is a valuable meansof communication, with over one million page viewsper month. It is a valuable way for veterans and thegeneral public to find information and is for manyveterans their first contact with DVA. The new-lookwebsite will improve access to information. Theredeveloped website continues the Department’smission of being responsive to the needs of veteransand their families. You can visit the new-look websiteat www.dva.gov.au

Inside every older person is a younger personwondering, “What the heck happened?”

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DR. WRIGHT’S HEALTH LETTER

COLD COMFORTOver the next few weeks the mercury will gradually

drop, in some places a lot, in others only a bit. Butthe inevitable coughs colds and sniffles are bound toafflict many. Be prepared, for sooner or later you maybe struck. Viruses ever present in the surrounding airgrab a hold inside the nose, then quickly spread tothe throat, and chest. The temperature may rise,muscles fill with aches and pains, and a cough develop.Dr Nature

Fortunately, nature is kind, and fixes most within afew days. But here a few simple tips are worth a try.At the first sign of the sniffles, gargle the throat withwarm salty water. Add half tsp salt to a glass of tepidwater, gargle and expel. This soothes the throat,eliminates germs both dead and alive, as well as gunkand goo. Drink lots of water, for this also swishesaway body toxins caused by the proliferating germs.No Antibiotics

Antibiotics are not needed, so do not take left-overs from some previous issue, and do not ask yourdoctor for a new lot. Simple paracetamol helps reducefevers, aches and pains and improves the way youfeel. Two (500 mg) one to three times a day isadequate. (Use the syrup for children. Not aspirin)My simple lemon and honey, either hot or cold relievesthe cough – take it strong or weak. Squeeze a lemoninto a glass, add half the volume of honey, stir andsip. Or heat up. Or fill the glass with hot water and trythat.Coughs

Pholcodine based cough mixtures help, but avoidthe plethora of mixtures and tablets that fill chemistsshelves. None will bring a quicker cure. Nasaldecongestant drops for a couple of days helps unclogairways, and sprays are available. Use minimally.Inhaling water vapour helps, but not if there arechildren around as scalds may occur if spilt. (600 mLof hot water to which one may add a few drops oftea tree oil, eucalyptus or friars balsam. Inhale fumesfor about 3 minutes using a towel or paper funnel.Wash face with a cold flannel after to avoid a fresh“chill”.)Educate

Millions of dollars are spent each year on remediesthat have little benefit. Educate the children in cold

care. Cover the mouth and nose if coughing orsneezing, or use a tissue and dispose of immediately.Medicated ones that kill the virus are now available.Wash hands after preferably with hot water and soapfor it is covered with germs, which may be transmittedto knobs and objects, or another person’s hands. Donot share cutlery and cups. Try and keep hands awayfrom nose and eyes and mouth. Do not smoke andkeep well away from smokers, for cigarette smoke isvery irritating.See DoctorIf other symptoms develop, see the doctorimmediately. Earache, pain under the eyes, skinrashes, persisting or increasing fever, headache orstiff neck are danger signals It means other germsmay have invaded the system needing evaluation,and a management plan which may includeantibiotics. The body’s immune system is verypowerful, but with any infection it may dropallowing other germs to jump aboard. Staying inbed for a couple of days is often helpful specially iffeeling off colour. The cold will vanish. But wrap upwell after, and keep warm, keep dry and keep outof drafts.

Caring for your big home to hard? Lonely? Thensee Doc Wright’s not for profit ‘Vimiera Village’ atEastwood, next to the Epping Boys High School.Phone David on 9868 7544 or emaildavid@macf.org.au

WHAT’S THE SCORE?SCG scorer Christine Bennison featured in The

Sydney Morning Herald on January 7, 2015. Christinehas worked as a cricket scorer for almost 30 years,and the recent Sydney Test Match was her 11th. Thearticle can be found on the internet at http://

www.smh.com.au/saviours-of-summer-scg-scorer-christine-bennison-20141216-122sfb.html

The daughter of late sub-Branch member JimEdgecombe and his late wife Edna, Christine was veryactive in the Epping RSL Women’s Auxiliary. The RSLawarded her a Certificate of Merit and Gold Badgefor this work. Christine is an Affiliate Member of theEpping RSL sub-Branch.

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Smaller Government MeasuresTranche 3

Last updated 22 December 2014

What is it?On 15 December 2014, building on earlier Budget

measures, the Government announced a third trancheof Smaller Government reform which relates to thestreamlining of government bodies.

For DVA, this means around 20 advisory groupsin the health, research and commemorations areas willeither cease, sunset, merge with new arrangements,or be subject to review. A range of commemorationsand research committees will wind up as the projectsthey support conclude. Also, there will be a smallernumber of multi-disciplinary health committees tobetter focus on whole of person care, whole ofprogramme design and contemporary issues for thehealth services sectors.

What does this mean for current DVAcommittees?

The implementation of the Government’s Tranche3 decisions and the new Australian GovernmentGovernance Policy creates an opportunity to refreshand streamline DVA’s advisory groups with a view tominimising any administrative burden on the relevantsectors.

DVA will consult with outgoing committee membersand relevant peak body associations in relation to thenew arrangements.

DVA is committed to continued engagement withthe various sectors and greatly values the contributionof past and current members to DVA’s advisorygroups. We will continue to take a client-focusedapproach to the delivery of services and programmes.Working closely with the veteran community and ourhealth and service providers remains an important partof how we do our business.

Points of clarification:With the implementation of DVA’s revised National

Consultation Framework, the three affected advisorygroups ceased in December 2013, namely the Current

and Former Members of the ADF Emerging IssuesForum (EIF); National Health, Aged and CommunityCare Forum (NHACCF); and the OperationalWorking Party (OWP). The EIF and OWP werereplaced by the Younger Veterans Forum (YVF) whofirst met on 16th April 2014, and the NHACCF wasreplaced with the National Aged and Community CareForum (NACCF) who first met on 30th April 2014.

To clarify the context of the Government’sannouncement concerning the three Veterans’ MATESgroups, these advisory groups (Practitioner ReferenceGroup; Veterans Reference Group; and WritingGroup) are currently required by contract and willcease once the current contract expires on 30 June2015. New arrangements will be determined toensure veterans, practitioners and providers continueto have access to advice about the provision ofpharmaceuticals. Until then, the three affectedVeterans’ MATES advisory groups will continue tomeet as usual under the current arrangements.

Full details of the DVA affected advisory groupsare available on the DVA website www.dva.gov.au/consultation-and-grants/consultation-ex-service-

community/smaller-government-measures-tranche-3

DVA HEALTH PUBLICATION:

Keeping you SAFE in the rider’s seat

Last updated 21 October 2014

A safety initiative for the veteran community

Motorised scooters can provide greater mobility,freedom and independence.

This on-line reference addresses the safety issuessurrounding the purchase, operation and maintenanceof motorised scooters and electric wheelchairs.

It provides important advice to increase your safetywhen operating your pedestrian movers.Keeping you safe in the rider’s seat (PDF 1 MB)

Download from dva.gov.au

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REMEMBRANCE DAY 2014 PROLOGUECAPT Brian Swan AM (RAN retd)

Today, these moments, this hour, this day wededicate to our dead.

Young Australians, whose passing into the silentland, we will honour by ourselves becoming silent.

The silence that we observe today is a traditionborn in a time when the vast majority of Australianscould pause and dwell upon a name, or a face, orsome precious memory. In years past, ceremoniessuch as today’s overwhelmingly reflected personal loss- the shared silence added to other more personaltimes when fathers, husbands, sons, daughters andfriends were missed and mourned.

It is different now.Now, thankfully, a great many Australians, have

no personal experience of war, no way of knowingthe anguish of enforced separation, or the greater griefof separations made permanent.

And for that reason amongst others, it is time torenew our pledge.

For most of us, not the pledge made by pastgenerations to remember a loved one lost to war buta promise to remember all who have been lost to warand to give thanks for their valiant service in defenceof our freedom and to demonstrate the value we placein those freedoms so selflessly forged.

In schools and workplaces, in cities and in the bush,Australians will stop, just for a moment, to considerwhat was lost to us. And recognise what was grantedto us by the exercise of such moral courage. Thenumbers are truly staggering in their enormity - over100,000 Australian soldiers, sailors, airmen andservicewomen remain where they died, on everycontinent and in every ocean of the world.

There is an ancient saying: “Heroes have the wholeworld for their tomb and in lands far from their own.”Of all the nations on earth, surely this is most true ofAustralia.

But numbers alone cannot adequately chronicle thisnation’s sacrifice, for each of the fallen had a familyand friends whose lives were enriched by their loveand diminished by their loss. Each added to the life ofa city, suburb or a country town. Each worked beforeenlistment, as a teacher, a farmer, a labourer, a nurse,a doctor, a clerk, or one of countless occupationswhich add to the prosperity and the richness of a nation.

And yet, although denied the full span of humanexistence, who can doubt their achievement.

These men and women, these strangers fromanother time, have given us a legacy from the past onwhich to build the future.

Gifts of determination, of compassion and self-confidence, but most of all, of service.

Theirs and ours is a spirit born on the cliffs ofGallipoli, then matured in the mud of the WesternFront, in jungles and in deserts, and in desperatestruggles on the sea and in the sky. A spirit which drawsAustralians together in time. !

Today, by recognising both what has been lost tous and what has been gained, by renewing our pledgeto remember, we declare, of all our fallen: “They arenot missing. They are here”.

LEST WE FORGET

Scam alertLast updated 12 January 2015

DVA has been made aware of a possible scamwhere a veteran was contacted and told they areentitled to a sum of money as compensation for ‘costof living expenses’. The veteran was then asked forbank account details so the money could bedeposited. After the veteran refused to provide bankaccount details, they were promised a cheque wouldbe sent.

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Service provides free, confidential nationwidecounselling and support for war and service relatedmental health and wellbeing conditions.

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REMEMBRANCE DAY, 11 NOVEMBER 2014

Curdie Photography

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This Month In Australian MilitaryHistory (www.awm.gov.au/atwar)JanuaryJanuary 1969 Vietnam Australian militarycommitment to Vietnam reaches a peak of 8,300service personnel.1 January 1901 Proclamation of the Commonwealthof Australia The union of the six former colonies cameinto being with a proclamation by the Governor-General, Lord Hopetoun at Centennial Park Sydney.1 January 1901 Sunnyside, South Africa Twocompanies of the Queensland Mounted InfantryRegiment along with British and Canadian troopsattacked a Boer laager on the western border ofOrange Free State. The Queenslanders suffered thefirst casualties of any Australian colony in the BoerWar.1 January 1975 Office of Australian War Gravesestablished The Office is responsible for themaintenance of the graves of Australia’s war dead in78 countries around the world and in 76 war cemeterieswithin Australia.2 January 1943 Buna Government Station capturedThe Japanese withdrawal from the Kokoda trailenabled the allies to plan the encirclement of importantJapanese positions in the Buna, Sanananda and Gonabeachhead. Buna was the second of the three to fallto the allies after weeks of heavy fighting.3 January 1941 6th Division in action at Bardia, LibyaThe attack against the Italians at Bardia was thebeginning of Australia’s first major ground campaignof the Second World War.3 January 1951 Seoul evacuated by UN CommandForces. United Nations forces were forced to evacuateSeoul after a successful southward advance by Chineseand North Korean forces. It was the second time inthe Korean War that Seoul had fallen; the first timewas shortly after North Korea launched its invasionof the South.4 January 1942 Japanese air attacks begin againstRabaul, New Britain Rabaul possessed a number ofairfields and one of the best natural harbours in thesouth-west Pacific. Its capture gave Japan a base fromwhich to launch air attacks towards New Guinea andnorth-eastern Australia as well as a strong south-eastern corner to its defensive perimeter in the Pacific.5 January 1941 Bardia captured The Australian 6thDivision captured 40,000 Italian prisoners, including fourgenerals, at a cost of 130 killed and 326 wounded inAustralia’s first major land battle of the Second WorldWar.5 January 1945 HMAS Australia damaged byKamikaze aircraft Australian ships were operating in

support of United States amphibious landings in theLingayen Gulf, Philippines when the Australia, for thesecond time in the war, became one of seven Alliedships to be struck by Kamikaze aircraft. 25 of her crewwere killed and 30 wounded.7 January 1952 HMAS Tobruk bombards Chomi Do,Korea The bombardment of Chomi Do, on the HaejuGulf north-west of Seoul, forestalled a North Koreaninvasion of Yongmae Do, an island about 20 kilometresfrom Inchon.8 January 1916 Evacuation of Helles British andFrench landings at Helles on 25 April 1915, had failedto secure their objectives, leading to a lengthy stalemateon the southern tip of the Gallipoli Penninsula.8 January 1952 RAAF launch first meteor rocketattack against ground forces Meteors proved unsuitablein air-to-air combat against the superior MIGs and werereassigned to ground attack duties.8 January 1958 Last Australian servicemen returnfrom Korea At the end of hostilities in Korea thepeninsula remained divided between North and South.The war has yet to officially end.9 January 1917 Light Horse captures Rafa Followingthe capture of Magdhaba a fortnight earlier the Alliesneed to take Rafa, a former Egyptian police post onthe Mediterranean border with Palestine, to enable theiradvance into Palestine.9 January 1940 Australian Comforts Fund re-established The Australian Comforts Fund (ACF),based on its First World War predecessor, raised moneyfor comforts parcels for Australian service personnelin the field, clothing and the provision of meals andaccommodation for men on leave.9 January 1966 1st Battalion, Royal AustralianRegiment, in Operation Crimp The operation becamethe scene of a major action against a Viet Cong tunnelcomplex.10 January 1940 Second AIF sails for the MiddleEast Following in the footsteps of the first AIF, thesecond AIF were also sent to the Middle East ratherthan England. Unlike their earlier counterparts,however, most of their fighting took place in NorthAfrica.10 January 1942 Japanese air raid on Singapore Aftertheir rapid advance through Malaya, Japanese forcespaved the way for their invasion of Singapore with aseries of air raids against the island.11 January 1942 Japanese captured Tarakan island,Borneo The success of Japan’s war in South East Asiaand the Pacific depended in large part upon the seizureof Borneo’s oilfields, including those at Tarakan.11 January 1973 Cessation of hostilities in Vietnamby Australian forces The proclamation by theGovernor-General, Sir Paul Hasluck, ended 11 years

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of Australian involvement in Vietnam, the longestduration of any war in Australia’s history.12 January 1943 Beginning of allied attack onSanananda The Japanese withdrawal from the KokodaTrail enabled the allies to plan the encirclement ofimportant Japanese positions in the Buna, Sananandaand Gona beachhead. Sanananda was last of the threeto fall to the allies after weeks of heavy fighting.13 January 1900 Prieska, South Africa New SouthWelshmen attacked at Prieska by Boers.14 January 1942 Gemas, Malaya 8th Division inflictsheavy casualties on Japanese in an ambush at Gemasin the first Australian contact with Japanese troops ofthe Second World War.15 January 1944 Sio The capture of Sio by the 9thAustralian Division represented the final destructionof the Japanese 20th Division in the protracted HuonPeninsula campaign of 1943-1944.16 January 1952 HMAS Sydney begins its seventhpatrol in Korean waters Sydney began its service inKorea in August 1951. This was the ship’s final patrolin Korean waters.16 January 1962 Death of Frank Hurley Hurley wasthe first official AIF photographer having beenappointed in 1917.17 January 1917 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corpssail for France No. 4 Squadron was the final AustralianFlying Corps squadron formed in the First World War.Its pilots flew Sopwith Camels over the Western Frontbeginning their active service in the battle of Cambrai.17 January 1991 Coalition air attacks begin againstIraqi forces in Iraq and Kuwait The first day of theGulf War which ended when Iraqi forces were drivenfrom Kuwait.18 January 1919 Versailles Peace Conference opensThe Treaty of Versailles, signed between Germany andrepresentatives of 27 victorious powers punishedGermany territorially and financially for her role in theFirst World War. The treaty was supposed also toprevent Germany from having the means to make warin the future.18-22 January 1942 Lieutenant Colonel C.G.W.Anderson, VC Lieutenant Colonel Charles Anderson,2/19 Battalion, 8th Division, originally of Cape Town,South Africa, won the Victoria Cross during operationsagainst the Japanese at the Muar River, Malaya.19 January 1942 North Borneo surrendered toJapanese The Japanese continued their conquest ofSouth East Asia in early 1942. Oil rich North Borneowas a vital objective that would allow Japan to carryon its war in Asia and the Pacific.19 January 1951 No. 77 Squadron raids PyongyangMustangs of No. 77 Squadron attacked a suspectedChinese headquarters with rockets.

20 January 1942 Wirraways engage Japanese fighterand bomber formations over Rabaul In the days beforethe fall of Rabaul, Japanese aircraft conducted a seriesof raids on the town. In an engagement lasting lessthan ten minutes three of 24 Squadron’s eightWirraways were shot down, one crashed on take-offand two were damaged in crash-landings.21 January 1941 6th Division begins its attack onTobruk, Libya The Port city of Tobruk was a wellfortified Italian held strong point held by about 25,000men.22 January 1941 Tobruk surrenders to Australian 6thDivision After its capture Tobruk was garrisoned bythe 9th Division , elements of the 7th Division and otherAllied units. The town was surrounded on three sidesby the German Afrika Korps in April and remainedbesieged, but able to be re-supplied by sea, untilDecember. Most Australian, however, left Tobrukbetween August and October.23 January 1942 Japanese capture Rabaul, NewGuinea Rabaul possessed a number of airfields andone of the best natural harbours in the south-westPacific. Its capture gave Japan a base from which tolaunch air attacks towards New Guinea and north-eastern Australia as well as a strong south-easterncorner to its defensive perimeter in the Pacific.23 January 1944 7th Division defeat Japanese atShaggy Ridge, New Guinea Australian troops cut themain Japanese routes through the Finisterre rangeswith the capture of Shaggy Ridge, north west of Lae,after days of heavy fighting.23 January 1952 Death of John Treloar John Treloar,Director of Australian War Memorial between 1920and 1952, was a staunch advocate of the need for apermanent building to house the vast collections ofrecords and relics that had been collected during andafter the First World War.24 January 1967 First contact at Bien Hoa, SouthVietnam Fighting at Bien Hoa involved a series ofcontacts between units of the 1st Australian Task Forceand communist forces in the area of the Bien Hoa -Long Binh complex near Saigon. Australian andAmerican units sought to dominate the area and preventenemy rocket attacks on nearby military bases andinstallations.25 January 1942 Japanese land at Lae Japaneseforces sought to capture Lae in order to build a forwardair base for the defence of Rabaul and for attacks onnorthern Australia and New Guinea.25 January 1942 Full mobilisation ordered in AustraliaThe threat of a Japanese invasion and the proximity ofJapanese forces to Australia demanded an increasedcommitment from the Government and public.

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25 January 1952 Last day of HMAS Sydney’sservice in the Korean war HMAS Sydney had servedin Korean waters since August 1951. The carrier hadoperated Firefly and Sea Fury aircraft (both typescan be seen in the Memorial’s Aircraft Hall).26 January 1945 Beginning of Sandakan deathmarch, Borneo Sandakan prisoner of war camp wasestablished by the Japanese in July 1942. Fearinginvasion from Allied forces, Japanese troops marchedthe prisoners inland to Ranau in January 1945. Manyof the prisoners died of malnutrition, exhaustion,disease and ill-treatment and the survivors were shotwhen they reached their destination. Only six out of2,500 Australians survived.27 January 1941 Fighting at Derna, Libya, beginsFollowing the capture of Tobruk two brigades of the6th Australian Division under Major General IvenMackay pursued the Italians westwards andencountered an Italian rear guard at Derna.27 January 1973 Conclusion of hostilities in Vietnamby United States forces The United States governmentannounced a policy of ‘Vietnamisation’ whereby theburden of fighting the war against the communistswould be borne entirely by the South Vietnamese.28 January 1991 RAN Clearance Diving Teamdeparts Perth for Kuwait As part of Australia’scommitment to the Gulf War a Royal Australian NavyClearance Diving Team was dispatched to the Gulffor explosive ordnance demolition tasks.29 January 1941 Italians evacuate Derna, Libya TheItalians having been defeated at Derna by units of the6th Australian Division continued their westward retreatacross North Africa in the face of an Allied advance.29 January 1943 Battle of Wau, New Guinea,begins The Japanese recognised that Allied possessionof Wau posed a significant threat to importantJapanese bases at Lae and nearby Salamaua andsought to take the town. They were defeated afterweeks of heavy fighting.30 January 1942 Japanese attack Ambon,Netherlands East Indies. Australia’s ‘Gull Force’ alongwith some 2,600 Netherlands East Indies troopsfought in defence of Ambon but were unable to defeatthe Japanese invasion of the island.30 January 1968 Tet offensive begins in VietnamWhile the Tet Offensive, named for Tet, the Vietnameselunar new year holiday period over which the attacksoccurred, was a military defeat for the Communistforces it proved to be a propaganda victoryaccelerating the American public’s growing oppositionto the war and causing United States military plannersto question whether victory was possible.31 January 1942 British forces withdraw toSingapore Having been driven from the Malayan

peninsula, Allied forces retreated to what wasbelieved to be the impregnable fortress of Singapore.31 January 1943 German forces surrender atStalingrad 90% of the German effort in the SecondWorld War was directed against Russia. The defeatof the German 6th Army at Stalingrad is widelyregarded as the turning point for the Allies. Thereafterthe Germans were unable to regain the initiative onthe Eastern Front.

February1 February 1943 Last Australian forces sail for homefrom the Middle East. Japan’s entry into the war forcedthe Australian Government to decline British requeststo concentrate on the war in North Africa and Europe.Australia began to ‘look to America’ for support andconcentrated the bulk of her forces against theJapanese.2 February 1942 First Japanese air attack on PortMoresby. The Japanese had hoped to occupy PortMoresby as a base from which to cut off shipping toEastern Australia. Their defeat in the Battle of the CoralSea thwarted the planned naval attack and invasionagainst Port Moresby.2 February 1968 The 3rd Battalion, Royal AustralianRegiment, recaptured Baria after the Tet offensive.The effects of the Tet Offensive were felt most acutelyby the Australians when the Viet Cong attackedtargets around Phuoc Tuy’s provincial capital, Baria.The attacks were repulsed with few Australiancasualties, though the Communists suffered heavylosses.3 February 1915 Turkish attempts to capture theSuez canal, vital to Allied shipping, were repulsedlargely by Indian troops. Australians of the 7th and8th Infantry Battalions temporarily garrisoned thetrenches after the fight.3 February 1943 Australians counter-attack at Wau.Having failed to take Wau the Japanese were forcedinto retreat. At the end of the fighting some 1,200Japanese had been killed as had some 300Australians.4 February 1945 Yalta Conference betweenPresident Roosevelt, Marshal Stalin and PrimeMinister Churchill to determine the shape of post-war Europe.5 February 1917 Captain H.W. Murray, 4th Division,originally from Launceston, Tasmania, earns theVictoria Cross at Stormy Trench north-east ofGueudecourt, France.6 February 1941 6th Division enter Benghazi, Libya.Benghazi changed hands five times as fighting, firstagainst the Italians and later the German Afrika Korps,

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ebbed and flowed across Libya’s Mediterraneancoast.8 February 1942 Japanese invade Singapore.Singapore was believed to be an impregnable fortressbut the Japanese advance from the Malayan Peninsulaproved the falsity of this belief.9 February 1943 Japanese defeat on Guadalcanal.After the ill-fated Philippines campaign, Guadalcanalwas the first test of land strength between Japan andthe United States in the Second World War. Japanesereverses at Guadalcanal contributed to their havingto withdraw from the Kokoda Trail in 1942 whenthey were almost within sight of Port Moresby.10 February 1944 End of Japanese resistance onthe Houn Peninsula. Fighting in the Huon Peninsulalasted from August 1943 until mid-February 1944 andinvolved heavy fighting at such places as Lae,Finschhafen, Sattelberg, Shaggy Ridge and the RamuValley.10 February 1954 Queen Elizabeth II and PrincePhilip each plant a Plane tree at Macquarie Place,Sydney to mark the beginning of the RemembranceDriveway between Canberra and Sydney.11 February 1951 Chinese launch their fourth phaseoffensive in Korea.12 February 1900 Pink Hill, Cape Colony, SouthAfrica. Pink Hill, held by Victorian, South Australianand British troops was attacked by a superior Boerforce resulting in the deaths of seven Australians andthe wounding of 22 others.12 February 1940 First convoy of second AIFreaches the Middle. East Australia’s first landcampaign of the Second World War took place inNorth Africa against the Italians.13 February 1946 Main Australian contingent ofBCOF sailed for Japan from Morotai. Australianpersonnel played a prominent role in the BritishCommonwealth Occupation Force in Japan at theconclusion of the Second World War in the Pacific.They were allotted the devastated HiroshimaPrefecture on the island of Honshu.13 February 1965 First Australian SAS Squadronadvance party departs for Borneo. The SAS servedin Borneo during Confrontation to gather intelligence,conduct reconnaissance patrols and collectinformation on topography.14 February 1900 The relief of Kimberley, OrangeFree State, South Africa, was a major operationundertaken to break the Boer siege of the town. 500Australians of the Queensland Mounted Infantry, NewSouth Wales Mounted Rifles and New South WalesLancers were involved in the breaking of the siege aspart of the cavalry division commanded by Lieutenant-General John French.

14 February 1942 The Vyner Brooke, carrying 65Australian nurses and other refugees from Singapore,was sunk by Japanese aircraft one day after leavingthe island. The survivors made their way to BankaIsland where one group of nurses were massacredby their Japanese captors. Only Sister VivianBullwinkel survived the massacre.15 February 1942 Fall of Singapore. Over 15,000Australians taken prisoner by the Japanese onSingapore. For both Britain and Australia this was aterrible military defeat.16 February 1942 Banka Island massacre. 22members of the Australian Army Nursing Service andother survivors of the sinking of the SS Vyner Brookemassacred on Banka Island. The only survivor fromthis party of Australian nurses was Sister VivianBullwinkel.17 February 1900 Paardeburg, Orange Free State,South Africa. A major action of the Boer War in whichmen of the New South Wales Mounted Rifles wereinvolved that resulted in the surrender of 4,000 Boersunder General Piet Cronje.18 February 1941 Australian troops arrive inSingapore. Australia recognised that Singapore wasvital to its own defence; without the island the Britishfleet had no suitable base for operations in the SouthEast Asia. The 8th Division was sent to bolster theisland’s defence in the event of Japan’s entering thewar.18 February 1943 9th Division arrives in Fremantle.Having served in North Africa the 9th Division wasordered back to help defend Australia against theJapanese.19 February 1915 Allied warships shell Dardanelles.This was the first allied attempt to force a passagethrough the Dardanelles and attack the heart of theOttoman Empire. Its failure ultimately led to the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign.19 February 1942 First Japanese air raid on Darwin.The city was bombed 64 times between February1942 and November 1943.19 February 1943 Parliament approves Defence(Citizen Military Forces) Bill introducing conscriptionfor service in the south west Pacific war zone.20 February 1942 Japanese land in PortugueseTimor. The Japanese landing in Portuguese Timorheralded the beginning of a long and gruelling guerrillacampaign waged by elements of the Australian 2/2ndIndependent Company with the support of friendlyTimorese.21 February 1916 Verdun, Western Front. A bitterbattle between the French and the Germans lastingnine months and costing over a million men killed andwounded. French losses at Verdun meant that for the

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remainder of the war British forces had to bear muchof the burden of the fighting on the Western Front.21 February 1956 Australian and British aircraftbomb Kluang, Malaya. The raid was staged againstthe jungle base of the 7th Independent Platoon,Malayan Races Liberation Army in Central Johoreand was carried out by Lincolns of No. 1 SquadronRAAF and Canberras of No. 12 Squadron RAF. Itwiped out the camp and was regarded as the mostsuccessful of the 4,000 sorties flown by the Australiansin Malaya.22 February 1942 General Douglas MacArthurordered to leave the Philippines. MacArthur madehis way to Australia from where he directed much ofthe war against Japan. His famous promise that ‘Ishall return’ was kept when United States forcesreturned to the Philippines in 1944.23 February 1942 Main Australian force on Timorsurrenders to the Japanese. Those Australians whoremained waged a guerrilla war against the Japaneseon the island.23 February 1956 1 Squadron RAAF bombCommunist camps near Kuala Lumpur during theMalayan Emergency. 1 Squadron flew Lincolnbombers during the Malayan Emergency.23 February 1967 Major P.J. Badcoe, AustralianArmy Training Team Vietnam, originally of Adelaide,South Australia, leads an attack against Viet Congtroops - it was the first of three acts of bravery betweenFebruary and April 1967 for which he was awardedthe Victoria Cross.24 February 1971 Captain J.J. Smith, AustralianArmy Training Team Vietnam, performs the action forwhich he is awarded a Bar to his Military Cross inJuly 1971.25 February 1951 Hill 614, Korea. 12 Platoon, DCompany, 3rd battalion, Royal Australian Regiment,captured this important piece of high ground at thesecond attempt, enabling the United Nations’ forcesnorthward advance to the Albany Line to continue.26 February 1943 End of fighting at Wau. TheJapanese recognised that Allied possession of Wauposed a significant threat to important Japanese basesat Lae and nearby Salamaua and sought to take thetown. They were defeated after weeks of heavyfighting.27 February 1942 Battle of Java Sea, in twoseparate actions off the coast of Surabaya involvingheavy losses in Allied shipping. HMAS Perth wasinvolved in the battle and was one of the few alliedships to survive. The action delayed Japanese landingsin Java by only one day.28 February 1942 Japanese invade Java. TheJapanese invasion of Java signalled the defeat of the

Netherlands East Indies and was another in the seriesof victories won by the Japanese in the opening sixmonths of the Pacific war.28 February 1991 Gulf War ends. With Iraqi forceshaving been driven from Kuwait and defeated in thefield the coalition forces called a halt to the fighting.29 February 1972 HMAS Sydney arrives at VungTau. On this voyage Sydney embarked 457 soldiers.HMAS Sydney made 21 voyages to Vietnam duringthe war.

March1 March 1901 Naval and military forces of the Statestransferred to Commonwealth control. WithFederation state and federal authorities began planningfor the establishment of federal military forces.1 March 1942 HMAS Perth sunk in Sunda Strait.Having survived the battle of the Java Sea HMASPerth and the United States Cruiser Houston weresunk in a battle against overwhelming Japanese forcesoff the western tip of Java. 353 of Perth’s 680 crewwere killed in the battle.2 March 1943 Battle of Bismarck Sea begins. AJapanese convoy of eight transport ships and eightescorting destroyers was almost annihilated by Alliedair attacks as they attempted to reinforce the garrisonat Lae. Of the 6,000 Japanese troops bound for Laeonly 2,890 survived.3 March 1885 Sudan contingent departed Sydney.New South Wales’ offer to send a contingent to theSudan was a demonstration of the depth of imperialsentiment in colonial Australia.3 March 1942 Broome and Wyndham bombed. TheJapanese air raid on Broome came when the portwas crowded with refugees fleeing the Japaneseinvasion of the Netherlands East Indies. About 70people, including many civilians are thought to havebeen killed in the raid. Japanese attacks on Wyndhamfocused on the town’s aerodrome.4 March 1942 HMAS Yarra sunk south of Java.Yarra was escorting a convoy of three ships from thefighting in the Netherlands East Indies to Java toFremantle when they were attacked by three Japaneseheavy cruisers and two destroyers. All four ships weresunk and only 13 of Yarra’s 151 crew survived.5 March 1970 HMAS Sydney arrives at Fremantle,en route to Sydney. On board was 5th Battalion,Royal Australian Regiment, which had completed atour in Vietnam. HMAS Sydney made 21 voyages toVietnam during the war.7 March 1942 Japanese occupation of Javacomplete. Allied forces offered little resistance to theJapanese invasion of Java, the former Dutch colonyfell to the Japanese 16th Army on 12 March.

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8 March 1942 Lae and Salamaua were occupiedby the Japanese to provide defensive depth for theirimportant air and sea base at Rabaul.9 March 1942 7th Division AIF arrives in Adelaide.Leading brigade of the 7th Division AIF arrives inAdelaide from the Middle East. Elements of theDivision had been sent to Java where they soonbecame prisoners of the Japanese.10 March 1942 Japanese land at Finschhafen. TheJapanese needed to capture towns such asFinschhafen and Salamaua to protect the their forwardair base at Lae.11 March 1845 First Maori War. British troopsbased in Australia were sent to suppress an uprisingby Maoris who were unhappy at the continuingexpansion of European settlement in New Zealand’sNorth Island.11 March 1917 Baghdad occupied. Members of the1st ANZAC Wireless Signal Squadron attached toLieutenant General Stanley Maude’s force of twoBritish Army Corps and one Indian Cavalry Divisionoccupy Baghdad.12 March 1900 Australians arrive at Bloemfontein,South Africa Members of the New South WalesMounted Rifles, under Lord Roberts, reachedBloemfontein, the capital of the Orange Free State,under Roberts’ strategy of taking the war into the BoerRepublics.13 March 1943 Japanese reconnaissance flight overDarwin In addition to the 64 air raids on Darwin theJapanese made numerous reconnaissance flights overnorthern Australia.14 March 1942 Japanese bomb Horn Island, TorresStrait. Horn Island, in the Torres Strait, was the maintactical base for Allied air operations in the TorresStrait. The island was subject to nine Japanese airraids during the Second World War.15 March 1940 First two women from the VoluntaryAid Detachments organisation enlist in the AIF. MostVoluntary Aids transferred after August 1942 into thenew Australian Army Women’s Medical Service. Over200 Voluntary Aids served in the Middle East andCeylon during the Second World War.16 March 1943 Flight Lieutenant W.E. Newton,originally from St Kilda, Victoria, was awardedVictoria Cross for action at Salamua Isthmus, NewGuinea. It was a posthumous award.16 March 1942 Darwin bombed. Darwin wassubject to 64 Japanese air raids during the SecondWorld War.17 March 1917 Australians occupy Bapaume,Western Front. Originally the objective for the firstday of the Somme campaign, Bapaume was occupied

by the 5th Division after fighting rearguards from theGerman retreat of early 1917.17 March 1942 General MacArthur flies to Darwin.Having left the Philippines after the Japanese invasion,General MacArthur was appointed to command thenewly created South West Pacific Area. Australiabecame the base from which he would launchoffensive action against the Japanese in the Pacific.18 March 1915 Allied fleet attempts to force theDardanelles. This was the second allied attempt toforce a naval breakthrough of the Turkish defences inthe Dardanelles.19 March 1916 Sir John Maxwell withdrawn fromEgypt, leaving Sir Archibald Murray in command.Murray ultimately led Allied forces, including theAustralian Light Horse, in the war against Turkey inthe Sinai and Palestine.20 March 1916 ANZAC Corps land in France. WithGallipoli behind them the bulk of Australia’s forceswere now sent to France where the terrible fightingon the Western Front awaited.20 March 1917 Lieutenant F.H. McNamara,originally from Rushworth, Victoria, becomes the firstAustralian airman to earn a Victoria Cross for rescuinga downed comrade in Palestine.20 March 2003 Iraq War. Australian military forces,as part of the US-led coalition, commence operationsas part of the invasion of Iraq.21 March 1918 Final German offensive of the FirstWorld War begins. The Germans hoped to split theAllied forces around Amiens and drive towards theEnglish Channel. After initial success their advanceslowed and was turned into the retreat that eventuallyled to the end of the First World War.21 March 1942 Air battle for Port Moresby begins.The Japanese had hoped to occupy Port Moresbyas a base from which to cut off shipping to EasternAustralia. Their defeat in the Battle of the Coral Seathwarted the planned naval attack and invasion againstPort Moresby.22 March 1942 Japanese aircraft bomb Katherine.This was the only air raid against Katherine in theSecond World War, one man was killed.22 March 1945 Corporal R.R. Rattey, 25thBattalion, originally from Barmedman, New SouthWales, earns the Victoria Cross on Bougainville.23 March 1945 Waitavolo and Tol plantationscaptured by Australians, New Britain. In 1942 theTol plantation was the scene of the massacre of some150 Australians as they attempted to flee Rabaul. Thecapture of the plantations in 1945 enabled theAustralian 5th Division to establish a line across theGazelle Peninsula from which they were able to

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conduct patrols against Japanese positions in theNorth of New Britain.24 March 1901 Australians capture Boer convoyand guns at Veldfontein24 March 1942 Port Moresby bombed by Japanese.The Japanese had hoped to occupy Port Moresbyas a base from which to cut off shipping to EasternAustralia. Their defeat in the Battle of the Coral Seathwarted the planned naval attack and invasion againstPort Moresby.25 March 1945 Lieutenant A. Chowne, 2/2 BattalionAIF, originally from Sydney, New South Wales, earnsthe Victoria Cross posthumously at Dagua, NewGuinea.26 March 1917 Captain P.H. Cherry, 26th BattalionAIF, originally from Drysdale, Victoria, earns theVictoria Cross at Lagnicourt. It was a posthumousaward.26 March 1917 First Battle of Gaza begins. Thiswas the first Allied attempt to capture this majorTurkish centre lying 32 kilometres inside the borderof Palestine. The Allied strength included twoAustralian Light Horse Brigades and the ANZACMounted Division under Major General HarryChauvel.27 March 1944 Australian Government launches firstVictory Loan aimed at raising £150 million for thewar effort. Twelve major Government war loans wereoffered to the Australian public during the SecondWorld War.27 March 1953 Last engagement between Meteorsand MIGS in the Korean War. Meteors had beenfound to be inferior to MIGS in air to air combat inKorea and were transferred to ground attack duties.28 March 1918 Sergeant S.R. McDougall, 47thBattalion, originally from Recherche, Tasmania, earnsthe Victoria Cross at Dernancourt.29 March 1885 New South Wales contingent arrivein Sudan. New South Wales’ offer to send acontingent to the Sudan was a demonstration of thedepth of imperial sentiment in colonial Australia.29 March 1941 Battle of Matapan, Greece. HMAships Perth, Vendetta and Stuart were among 13Allied ships involved in the battle which saw the lossof five Italian ships and 1,230 men. Victory atMatapan gave the Allies sea control of the EasternMediterranean until the end of the campaigns inGreece and Crete.31 March 1921 Formation of the Australian Air ForceIn Australia negotiations between Army, Navy andDefence officials from 1917 to 1921 resulted in theAustralian Air Force being formed on 31 March 1921,with approval to use the ‘Royal’ prefix granted on 13August 1921.

75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEDEPARTURE OF THE SECOND

AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCEMessage from The Hon Tony Abbott MP,

Prime Minister of AustraliaDefence News and Media 12 January 2015

On the 10th of January 1940, the first convoy ofthe Second Australian Imperial Force departed Over5,000 men aboard the liners Ortranto, Orcades,Orford and Strathnaver left Sydney Harbour to achorus of whistles and cheers. Some men would havefelt fear, others anticipation. Most, perhaps, a measureof both.

In the years to come, the Second AIF would bedeployed to every corner of the world: to the MiddleEast, the Mediterranean, North Africa, Britain,Southeast Asia, and the southwest

During this month 75 years ago, Prime MinisterRobert Menzies sent a message to members of theSecond AIF: “Wherever you are called up for duty,

I am certain that you will acquit yourselves likemen, and be strong, because your spirit will be

the spirit of volunteers fighting for a cause in whichyou believe.”

On this 75th anniversary, we remember all whoserved our nation in the Second World War. We arereminded of their sacrifice, valour and triumph whichcame with such terrible losses.

Between 1939 and 1945, from a population ofaround seven million, almost a million Australiansenlisted in the military and over half a million servedoverseas. Some 50,000 were wounded and more than30,000 were taken as prisoners of war.

The names of the more than 40,000 that nevercame home are commemorated on the Australian WarMemorial’s Roll of Honour and Commemorative Roll.

On days such as this, we do not glorify war butwe do acknowledge the selflessness and comradeshipof shared struggle. In the darkest of times, our soldiers,serving in our name, were at their best.

INFORMATION FOR EX-SERVICEWOMEN 2015

WRANS Naval Women’s AssociationContact Hon. Secretary Mrs Elizabeth Watts, 1/21-25 Elizabeth St., Allawah 2218 Ph 9588 2748 or President Mrs Rosemary Stockley, 60 Gilgandra Road, North Bondi 2026 Ph 9130 7868Meet 2nd Friday 12.30 p.m. , City of Sydney RSL 565 George St., Sydney. Please check at front desk forlocation. Meeting dates: 9 January, 13 February, 13 March , 10 April 2015.

Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen & Women President Mrs June Jorgenson OAM BA LLBSuite 4, 4th Floor, Anzac House, 245 Castlereagh St, Sydney 2000. Ph 9264 1294, or 9264 1394

Ex WRAAC Association (NSW)President Mrs Louise Green, “The Croft”, 2580 The Northern Road, Luddenham 2745 Ph 4773 4394Secretary Mrs Muriel Buckland Ph 0412 642 439Treasurer Mrs Jenny Weir Ph 0418 228 169Association Mailing Address PO Box 1124 Merrylands 2160Next meeting: 7/8 February 2015 Corps WeekendSaturday 28 March Committee Meeting 1030h, Quarterly Meeting 1230h Victoria BarracksSaturday 31 October 40th Anniversary Parade,1230 Parade Ground at Victoria Barracks

Ex WRAAF Reunion Group NSWContact Secretary Margaret Wells, 18 Woodland Ave., Hazelbrook 2779 Ph 4758 7153Meet 2nd Saturday Feb, May, Aug, Nov. 1130 at City of Sydney RSL Club, 565 George Street, SydneyOctober Special Luncheon to be confirmed.9-11 October Gold Coasat 64th National Reunion, Coolangatta Qld

Kirribilli Ex-Service Women’s AssociationMeets quarterly at the Chatswood RSL Club at 11.30 a.m.Meeting dates 2015:4th Sunday Feb, May, Aug, Nov 1130hEnquiries to President Ms Margaret Black, 4/61 Shirley Road, Wollstonecraft 2065 Ph: 9439 6034

Ex WAAAF Branch Sydney “Keeping in Touch” LuncheonsTimes same as old meeting dates, 4th Tuesday of the month except April and December. Christmas Meetingin November.Seniors Card $23 three course buffet, pay on the day, 11.30 a.m. for 12 noonSydney Bowlers Club, 95 York Street, SydneyAll welcome. Contact Mrs Betty Seery 9771 6716 for table numbers.

Australian Women’s Land Army Reunion LuncheonNext meeting:4th Wednesday Mar, Jun, Sep, Nov 1130h at Menzies Hotel Bistro, Carrington Street,Sydney. Lift to lower floor.. For bookings phone Doreen Cherry OAM on 9918 3218.Contact Peggy Williams OAM phone 9888 5303

Ex AWAS “Keeping in Touch” LuncheonMeets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 1130h for 12 noon at Sydney Bowlers Club, 95 York Street,Sydney. Next meeting 21 Jan, 18 FebContact Amy Taylor AM on 9428 1026

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VISITORS & THE WIVES & FRIENDS OF MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND ALL MEETINGS

SUB-BRANCH ACTIVITIES

SUB-BRANCH MONTHLY MEETINGSAre held at 1930 on the last Monday of each month.Next Meetings: Monday 2 February 2015 (January Meeting)

Monday 23 February 2015 Monthly meeting and Annual General MeetingMonday 30 March 2015

Contact: John Prestidge, Secretary, Ph 9868 3272 (sub-Branch Office), 9871 1617 (Home)

SENIOR MEMBERS ASSOCIATIONMeetings are held at 1400 on the first Tuesday of each month.Next Meetings: Tuesday 03 February 2015 Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 03 March 2015 Monthly General MeetingTuesday 10 March Day Trip 0900

Outings and functions are usually conducted on the second Tuesday of the month.Membership is available to all financial members of the Epping RSL sub-Branch, their spouses, and thewidows and widowers of ex-service personnel who were eligible to join the Epping RSL sub-Branch.Contact: Margaret Cummins, Secretary, Ph 9680 4865

OLD & BOLDMeetings are held at 1300 on the first Thursday of each month.Next Meetings: Thursday 08 January 2015

Thursday 05 February 2015Thursday 05 March 2015

Membership is available to all financial members of the Epping RSL sub-Branch.Contact: David Taylor, Secretary, Ph 9871 4266

GRANNY SMITH DAY CLUBMeet at 1000 every Friday in the Uniting Church Hall, Chester Street, Epping.Details of activities are shown in the Granny Smith column in this newsletter.Contact: Caroline Pierotti 9876 4443

EPPING WAR WIDOWS AND EASTWOOD LEGACY WIDOWSMeetings are held at 1330 on the third Wednesday of each month.Next Meetings: Wednesday 21 January 2015

Wednesday 18 February 2015Wednesday 18 March 2015Contact: Betty Howard 9891 9030

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERThe material contained in this publication is in the nature of general comment only, and neither purports nor is intended tobe advice on any particular matter. Readers should not act or rely upon any matter or information contained or implied bythis publication without taking appropriate professional advice which relates specifically to their circumstances. Thepublishers and authors expressly disclaim all and any liability to any person, whether an Association member or not, whoacts or fails to act as a consequence of reliance upon the whole or part of this publication. Views expressed in an Editorialmay not necessarily be those views held by the Management Committee.

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EPPING RSL SUB-BRANCH DIRECTORY YEAR 2015*

SUB-BRANCH COMMITTEE Sub-Branch Office 9868 3272

President John Curdie 9484 5394 Vice-Presidents Ken Wighton 9894 7479 David Taylor 9871 4266 Secretary John Prestidge 9871 1617 Treasurer Max Falconer 9688 1385 Welfare Officer Robin Cummins 9680 4865 Pensions Officer Barry Hoschke 9868 2079 Membership Co-Ord. Alan Sullivan 8850 5805 Ceremonial Brian Swan 9876 8687 Publicity Robert Mitchell 99452565 Youth Club Liaison Max Falconer 9688 1385 Trustees Charles Brown 9876 4662 Robert Waterson 9871 2927 Phil Short 9634 8525 Memorabilia Consultant

Gerald McCallum 9968 1997 0400 232 732

SENIOR MEMBERS ASSN. Patron Ward Joice 9876 4021

President Merril Prestidge 9871 1617 Vice President Nancy Wood 9869 8115 Secretary Margaret Cummins 9680 4865 Treasurer Deirdre Curdie 9484 5394 Tours Manager Deidre de Costa 9876 1033 Committee Malcolm Ford 9614 2822 Don Campton 9871 2025 Brenda Greentree 9869 7590 Don Greentree 9869 7590

OLD & BOLD Patron John Curdie 9484 5394 President Sheila Van Emden 9869 7045 Secretary David Taylor 9871 4266

EPPING WAR WIDOWS and EASTWOOD LEGACY WIDOWS

Patron Robert Waterson 9871 2927 President Betty Howard 9891 9030 Vice President Leah Fraser 9876 4303 Secretary Pat Dennis 9858 2119 Treasurer Margaret Smythe 9809 2820

GRANNY SMITH DAY CLUB Patron Jack Ray 9876 1494

Coordinator Caroline Pierotti 9876 4443 Deputy Coordinator John Roddy 9874 4742

Ruth Campey 9876 3563 YOUTH CLUB President John Coyne 9876 1551

Secretary Michael Hines 9876 6070 Treasurer Hugh McMullan 9617 1199

* Subject to confirmation following Annual General Meeting.

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Curdie Photography