Radschool Association Magazine - Vol 38

Page 19

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 Your Say!

Ralph Dix

Ralph wrote, “G’day all, I went to Stan Buswell’s funeral on Friday the 13th January and discovered the following which I’m sure will be of interest to a lot of other people.

Stan joined the RAAF in Feb 1957 on 11 Radio Apprentice Course (36 starters - 6 from each State) and went to Frognal and studied at what was later to be called RMIT. His first posting was to MTU as a technician. Late in the 60s early 70s he was posted to Radschool as a lecturer. In the mid 70s he was posted to BSPEA as a Radio Officer. He was discharged from Pearce in 79 as a Squadron Leader after which he went into business for himself

In the late 80s he joined TAFE in WA as a Lecturer for Electronics Engineering at the Fremantle Campus and in the early 90s he transferred to the Mount Lawley Campus. From 2002 onwards he suffered a combination of Heart Attacks and Strokes.

I first knew of Stan during my time studying at Radschool in 1971. I was not lucky enough to have him as a lecturer but he was one of those SGTs that did become known to apprentices as someone who would listen and was willing to provide advice.

I was at BSPEA when Stan, by then a FLTLT, arrived and became at first the A/BRADO and then the BRADO. In April 1976 I was attached, on manning relief, to BSDAR for a three month period - you know the type you go and can expect the period to be extended. My problem was simple, I had booked two years’ worth of leave starting about the 28 Jun and going through to the middle of August, with the express purpose of getting married in the first week of July and having a honeymoon, unfortunately the wedding date was two weeks before the attachment was scheduled to finish.

Stan the Man, on hearing my situation, promptly joined battle with DEFAIR to cancel the Attachment.  No-No-No was their answer, however the length can be changed so that I could return to Pearce, two or three days before my leave started.

On arrival at Darwin the A/BRADO there said 'no-way' can this attachment be changed like that and he persuaded DEFAIR to revert back to the original schedule. (Good man-management). So a couple of days later when the re-re-schedule attachment was confirmed, I made a call back to Pearce and Stan re-joined battle and was again successful.

Subsequently I returned to Pearce, went on leave, married etc. etc and I took a discharge in December 1979.

I sure that there are many others who could provide stories about Stan's times in the RAAF. The few tales that were told at his funeral were so believable and will certainly bring a few chuckles to those who knew him - we all said "Yep! that was Stan"

I joined TAFE in 1989 to teach electronics to technicians at Mount Lawley. After a couple of weeks I was walking into the staff area and on the balcony having a durrie was Stan the man.  Over the next couple of years we often talked about lots of things Stan was well versed in many topics, this was when I felt comfortable to call him Stan.  I was transferred to Midland campus in 1995 and lost the contact with him.

Two years ago Yvonne Gould, a Student that Stan and I both taught at Mount Lawley, contacted me and suggest that Stan would enjoy a visit from me. At the time I didn't know that Stan had had numerous bouts of heart attacks and strokes. It was a surprise to see Stan walking around with an Oxygen bottle, on that occasion I spent a few hours with him. I visited a couple of more times.

The thing that pleased me at the funeral was that 5 members of his Apprentice course were present as well as one from 12 course. I didn't obtain all their names but if they read this they will know who they are. During the ceremony Stan's son read Stan's Eulogy and at the end he said the only thing he had to change was the date from 2010 to 2012.

There were also a few TAFE people there but the RAAF was more significant. In the Order of Service there were a few comments the one I liked the most was:

"He disliked incompetents and authority so his run-ins with some of the RAAF bosses became legend I admire his guts, if not his wisdom"

Even when he was in TAFE, this was still so. Why should the RAAF be the only organisation that stuffs things around”.

Shane Rochford.

Shane Rockford wrote, “I am on the Board of Directors for the Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome Heritage Aviation Association and together with a consortium of fellow aviation enthusiasts, we are applying to gain approval for an ex-RAAF F111 for the museum so we need to now get the members up as part of this push.

There is a copy of the application form to join the volunteer group HERE. This group will be responsible for maintaining and flying the aircraft which will be stored at the Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome Museum.

In the first year the the Joining Fee, $10 and Membership Fee $10 are being waved! Yes nothing to pay until at least 2013!. If you would like to join, please complete the form and return it to me at srochford@atae.com.au

I would also appreciate it if you could help us find more suitable members for the Association so please forward this on to anyone in your circle of friends who may be interested. We are only after names at this point and this will no way commit you to anything.

If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me by email, or on my mobile 04 1606 1602.

Geoff White

Geoff White wrote, “I've just finished reading Vol 37 and I do love the Mag, excellent stuff. Reading the articles takes me back some 50 years to my rookies at Wagga (#568 - ACRM), my Radmech course at Laverton, (#13), my Teleg course also at Laverton (#68), and my time at 3Telu, HQOPSCOM, BASQNSIGS Butterworth and a couple of 1 month stints at Ubon. I finally discharged at Amberley, having risen through the ranks to LAC.

I was in Ubon when Harry Holt arrived from Vietnam, complete with kegs and BBQ supplies. I was on the welcoming parade on the Yank side of the airfield when our WOD came up behind me a few minutes before the ETA and asked "what are you doing here White?" I answered "waiting to welcome our PM Warrant", to which he responded "not with hair like that you aren't - piss off!"

Harry's speech from the stage of the RAAF open-air cinema was cut short by phlocks of Phantoms taking off on after-burner on their way to an airborne refuel then to bomb Hue, Hanoi etc, so we all adjourned to the Airman's Mess - which was the biggest and must have been a bit of a come-down for some of our leaders. Yanks I spoke to later were amazed that our "President" would visit such a remote base, when they couldn't even get their General to pop over from Guam! If I recall correctly, they had some 4,500 on their side, and we'd maintained our 150 personnel from the beginning of the place back in the early' 60s! Their old Master Sergeants would happily swap a pint bottle of Canadian Club for a bottle of our "illegal" Port - a good exchange rate I always thought!

Great days for a 22 year old - what an introduction to life!

Thanks again - and your various contributors do a wonderful job too.

Steve Paget

Steve wrote, “I am contacting you to ask a favour. I am currently conducting research for my Doctorate (PhD) degree at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University, under the supervision of Professor David Horner. I hope that you may be able to offer me some assistance. My thesis is a study of interoperability between the armed forces of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States since the Malayan Emergency. I intend to focus on three aspects of warfare: air mobile infantry operations, aerial tactical bombing and naval gunfire support. I will investigate the practical enactment of coalition operations between the three nations and compare the results to the theoretical interoperability standards that have been outlined by the following interoperability for ABCA (Army), the Air and Space Interoperability Council (Air Force), and AUSCANNZUKUS (Navy).

I am currently working on the issue of interoperability during air mobile infantry operations during the Vietnam War. In addition to archival research, I am also very keen to conduct interviews with any participants that may be able to provide an insight into the issue of interoperability between the armed forces of Australia and the United States. I believe that former members of 2, 9 and/or 35 Squadrons RAAF may be able to provide an invaluable insight into the issue of interoperability. I would be extremely grateful if any former members of these Squadrons would be willing to take part in a written interview, which can be completed at their own leisure.

Alternatively, if it would be preferable, I would be more than happy to conduct a verbal interview. I realise that you are probably extremely busy but I would greatly appreciate any assistance that you may be able to offer me. If you would like any additional information on my project then please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have”.

If you can assist, please contact Steve direct on steven.paget@anu.edu.au

Greg Reinke

Greg Reinke wrote, “Hi, I was talking to the Caloundra RSL re the upcoming 9 Squadron RAAF, Iroquois Helicopters Ceremony on the 16th March and was wondering if any of your members would:

1.     Remember my brother (Ian Desmond Reinke) and

2.     Have any photos of either him or photos of where they were based etc?

We don’t have any memorabilia and anything would be appreciated as I’m trying set up a service wall. He was an ADG and served in Vietnam as a gunner with 9 Sqn from June 1967 to June 1968”.

If you can help, please contact Greg direct on greg.reinke@optus.com.au

Greg McMahon.

Greg McMahon wanted to know whether there was any recognized facts between Bowel/Liver cancer and agent orange for RAAF radio personnel in Vietnam? We didn’t know so we did some checking.

(Selective??) Studies showed that veterans who served in Vietnam during the war have increased rates of cancer, and nerve, digestive, skin and respiratory disorders. Veterans from the south had higher rates of throat cancer, acute/chronic leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, soft tissue sarcoma and live cancer. Other than liver cancer, these are the same conditions the US Veteran's Administration has found to be associated with exposure to Agent Orange/dioxin, and are on the list of conditions eligible for compensation and treatment.

Military personnel who loaded airplanes and helicopters used in Ranch Hand probably sustained some of the heaviest exposures. Members of the US Army Chemical Corps, who stored and mixed herbicides and defoliated the perimeters of military bases, are also thought to have had some of the heaviest exposures. Others with potentially heavy exposures included members of U.S. Army Special Forces units who defoliated remote campsites, and members of U.S. Navy river units who cleared base perimeters. Military members who served on Okinawa also claim to have been exposed to the chemical.

While in Vietnam, the veterans were told not to worry, and were persuaded the chemical was harmless. After returning home, Vietnam veterans began to suspect their ill health or the instances of their wives having miscarriages or children born with birth defects might be related to Agent Orange and the other toxic herbicides to which they were exposed in Vietnam. Veterans began to file claims in 1977 to the Department of Veterans Affairs for disability payments for health care for conditions they believed were associated with exposure to Agent Orange, or more specifically, dioxin, but their claims were denied unless they could prove the condition began when they were in the service or within one year of their discharge.

In 2008 Australian researcher Jean Williams claimed that cancer rates in the town of Innisfail, Queensland were 10 times higher than the state average due to secret testing of Agent Orange by the Australian military scientists during the Vietnam War. Williams, who had won the Order of Australia medal for her research on the effects of chemicals on U.S. war veterans, based her allegations on Australian government reports found in the Australian War Memorial museum archives. A former soldier, Ted Bosworth, backed up the claims, saying that he had been involved in the secret testing.

In May 2008, The Sun-Herald then ran the article below left, after which the Queensland health department replied to the claim and said that cancer rates in Innisfail were no higher than those in other parts of the state. The Innisfail Advocate ran the article below right, quoting a senior official from Qld Health.

It seems the Agent Orange beat up done by the Sun-Herald, for reasons known only to themselves, was just that, a complete Beat-Up and had no credibility what so ever.

The ABC TV Show, Media Watch, got onto it and showed it for what it was – see HERE

All this sensationalist reporting does nothing to help people who COULD have been affected by Agent Orange.  Studies done by the National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology show that the highest levels of mortality occurred among Navy bods who had nothing to do with Agent Orange.

So!!!  What is the answer??  There is heaps of material which definitely links agent orange to cancers and there is heaps of material which says it doesn’t.

Sorry Greg, haven’t a clue!!!

Bruce Kendall.

Bruce wrote, “Howdy all, thanks for another great magazine. Arthur Comer, in his piece about 7 RTC (Permanent Air Force), makes mention of the late Les (Marconi) Jenkins. Members may be interested to learn more about Les. Like me, and many current and ex RAAF RADTECs, Les was a radio amateur - call sign VK3ZBJ. As Arthur states, Les was renowned for his VHF/UHF and later SHF knowledge and practice in the CSIRO, the RF comms industry, and as a radio amateur.

In Amateur Radio magazine The Wireless Institute of Australia published an obituary for Les when he died. I can't find a copy online, however I recall there was much detail in it.

Rod Faux.

Rod says “ Howdy all, I got this from a geek mate. Personally I agree, but then I'm still catching up to some of the "features" in XP.......

Subject: Five Reasons why Windows 8 will be dead on arrival

I completely agree - not that I am a Linux loving, M$ hater....  I really think it will be a bigger failure than VISTA.  The biggest "new feature" is a completely new user interface, which is the one thing that the vast majority of users do not want to change.  Migrating a completely non-computer literate user from WinXP to Win7 - although painful is still doable, because the basic interface principle of desktop icons and a "start menu" are still there.

The biggest failure is M$ simply not knowing their customers.  Globally the extreme vast majority of windows desktop users are not geeky compu-philes (those people use Macs and Linux :-) ), but are actually mostly non-computer literate people that just use the desktop day in and day out for their daily work and do not want anything changed on their desktop.

Click HERE to see why some people think Windows 8 will fail.

Trevor, what does Sam think??” 

Well, we asked Sam – this is what he says-

“Maybe what I think doesn't matter too much, with so many people who have looked into things a lot more voicing their opinions, but for what it's worth here are some thoughts.

Sales of personal computers of various kinds are not the growth market they were in the past, and in some markets sales are declining. This is almost certainly because of the increased use of smart phones and tablets. Microsoft now has meaningful competition, with the competitors mostly operating in a space Microsoft is relatively unfamiliar with. The last time I remember Microsoft giving the appearance of responding to competition was the leap from Windows NT4 to NT5 (which they subsequently decided to call Windows 2000). NT was mainly used for servers and by high end users, and the difference in reliability between NT4 and the Linux systems available at the time was significant.

As a result Microsoft wanted reliability and the release date for Windows 2000 kept getting pushed further into the future, but when it came out it was very good and easily the most reliable OS Microsoft had delivered to that date. So will Windows 8 follow a similar pattern? I don't know. But I'd be very surprised if they rush a dodgey version of it to market, by the time it's released I think they will want it to do whatever it does pretty well flawlessly. People don't like change, even if it's for the better. After Windows 95 was released, the most common call to Microsoft support was 'How do I get back to Windows 3.1?'. But if the fundamentals are good, people will come around to accepting it. And that's what I suspect will determine the success or failure of Windows 8. If it's well thought out and doesn't run like a dog, people are likely to come around to accepting it, unless they've lost interest in desktops and just want to use their tablets or smart phones. I think that's the challenge for Microsoft, to get people used to a smart phone friendly OS so that they seek out a smart phone with the same familiar interface.

But they might have left their run a bit late.”

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