Vol 48 |
The Magazine by and for Serving and Ex-RAAF People,
and others. |
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REOA.
The RAAF Engineering Officers Association (REOA) is a group of
mainly (but not exclusively) retired RAAF Engineer Officers who meet
on a regular basis in Melbourne.
The purpose of the REOA is to foster a common interest group to
provide long term, ongoing contact and support to past and current
serving RAAF Engineer Officers and their partners. They hold regular
lunches at the Batman’s Hill Hotel which is on the corner of Spencer
and Collins Streets in Melbourne and on Thursday the 6th November
2014, we were lucky enough to sneak in on their last one.
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The Batman’s Hill Hotel, Melbourne.
Rick Toholka, an ex radio brat from 19 Appy, who gave up the
overalls and became “sirred”, is the current President and he and
everyone else made us feel very welcome, we thank them all for that.
Some of the people who were at the luncheon include:
(you can click each pic for a bigger
view.)
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Past and present Presidents.
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L-R: Kevin Leslie, (inaugural President) Rick Toholka,
(current President), Rod Ledingham (immediate past President).
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Kevin was the inaugural President of the REOA. He joined the RAAF in
1956 as a radio Appy on 13 Appy and retired many years later as a
Wng Cdr. Rick is the current President, he joined as an Appy (19
Appy) in 1965 and eventually retired as a Sqn Ldr and Ron, who is
the immediate past President, also joined as an Appy (18 Appy) and
he also retired with the rank of Sqn Ldr.
Must have been something in the water at Appy-Land back then. We
reckon it would be an interesting exercise to see how many brats,
from both Laverton and Wagga, went on to a commission, as compared
to blokes from Thick-Land. My guess the brats would win hands down!!
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Early in the afternoon, before the troops got
settled, President Rick read them the riot act, advising them to
conduct themselves as gentlemen at all times as this was, after all,
a civilian establishment and management would not take too kindly to
their normal boisterous behaviour.
There was to be no jumping on tables, no throwing
of plates and definitely no shedding of costumes.
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L-R: Dion McDonald, Don McDonald, Bob Brackin.
Dion was a guest of his
dad – Don, who started life as an electrician, was commissioned and
retired a Wng Cdr. Bob was also an ex-Bratt, starting his career in
the electrical game before retiring as a Wng Cdr.
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L-R: John Baker, Carol Gould.
John joined in 1964 as a Diploma Cadet, graduated as an EngAero and
went on to retire as a Gp Capt.
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L-R: Brian Livingston, Colin Giles.
Brian also started life as a radio brat, back in 1956 (10 Appy) and
retired a Flt Lt. Col joined in 1965, as a Diploma Cadet and
graduated as an EngAero. He retired as a Wng Cdr.
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L-R: Laurie Baldwin, Ken Henderson.
Laurie Bratted through Wagga, in 1964, and retired a Wg Cdr. Ken
started his career at the Academy in 1971, was commissioned as an
EngAero and retired a Wg Cdr.
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L-R: Laurie Lindsay, Don McDonald, Bob Brackin.
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Laurie was Frognallised on 14 Appy, was commissioned and retired
gracefully as a Flt Lt. Don and Bob are both from Wagga, both were
commissioned EngElecs, Don retired a Wg Cdr, Bob a Sqn Ldr.
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L-R: Peter Jupp, Geoff Schmidt.
Peter Jupp was a Radio Brat (15 Appy) then eventually advanced to
wear the funny hat badge. After a successful career he retired a Sqn
Ldr. Geoff was a member of the famous Wombats (12 Appy)
at Wagga back in 1958. He too graduated from Frognall in 1965 as an
Instrument Officer.
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L-R: Val Robinson, GarryThomsen.
A lot of people would remember Val, all with fond memories too we
would suggest. Val, one of the few who didn’t start life as a brat,
joined the RAAF in 1964 and was posted to Radschool at Laverton to
study as a Telsmech, After graduating he went west for a few months
then back to Laverton for his conversion to a Tech – then back to
Pearce again. Then it was up to Darwin for a couple of years and
where he got his Cpl hooks. In 1974 he was posted from Darwin down
to 1AD at Laverton where he got his third. With the third on his arm
and sick of the overalls, he applied for and was successful in
obtaining a commission.
In 1978, as a Flt Lt he was off to Butterworth for 2 years as the
OIC GTE maintenance then back to Aust and as penance spent a year at
HQSC where he got his Sqn Ldr’s. In 1983 it was back to 1AD at
Laverton as the OIC then chief engineer of the radar branch. From
1985 to 1990 he had various postings and duties, some in Canberra,
others back on St Kilda Rd, during which time he was promoted to Wng
Cdr. In 1990 he was posted back to Laverton, this time as the CO of
Radschool, a job he stayed at and loved until 1992.
After Radschool, until his retirement in March 1998 as a Wng Cdr,
life was spent at various HQ buildings around the country, this
involved a lot of travelling and meeting and greeting various
people.
We hear a lot here, but we've never heard anyone say anything but
nice things about Val, what a great way to be remembered!!
Garry was on 19 Radio Appy and after graduating in August 1967, was
eventually commissioned and retired a Sqn Ldr.
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L-R: Richard Orr, Colin Lacey.
Richard joined as a Radio Brat (10 Appy) and retired a Wng Cdr.
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L-R: Bob Bennett, Carol Gould, Glen Gould.
Bob Bennett joined the RAAF in 1956, on 10 Appy (Rosebuds) and
graduated as an Elec Fitter. In 1965 he graduated from Frognall as
an Elect Officer and finally retired as a Group Captain. |
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L-R: David Jamison AM, Rick Toholka Rod Ledingham,
Alf Jaugietis.
David is the National President of the Defence Force Welfare
Association and was the guest speaker at the function. He had a
career in the Army and retired as a Colonel in 1997 (Group Captain
in the old money). He is a graduate of the Officer Cadet School at
Portsea in Victoria, after which he obtained a Corporate Director’s
Diploma at the University of New England, an Advanced Certificate in
Public Administration (RMIT) and completed the Logistic Executive
Development Program at Michigan State in the US and also at Monash
Uni.
David served in Vietnam with the Ordinance Corps as a Lieutenant
from May 1966 to May 1967,
As well as
being the National President of the Defence Force Welfare
Association, he is also an active advocate for serving and former
ADF members. He is consulted by federal parliamentarians of all
persuasions and has worked to bring about a more coordinated
approach among the national leadership of ESO’s. His efforts towards
improving conditions for serving and former members of the ADF have
led to a greater public recognition and awareness of the issues
impacting service men and women and have resulted in beneficial
changes to both the Government and Opposition policy platforms. He
has been an RSL member since 1967 and once held the position of the
Secretary of the Washington, DC RSL Sub Branch. He is currently the
President of the Ringwood (Vic) RSL Sub Branch.
Having
completed his tenure he relinquished the appointment of Honorary
Colonel RAAOC (Victoria / Tasmania) in November 2009. He is a life
member of the Australian Army White Water Association.
He is a
former Senior Fellow of the Corporate Director’s Association and
Member of the Australian Institute of Management.
David was
appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1997 for exceptional
service as the Army’s Director of Capital Procurement at Army
Headquarters.
Alf Jaugietis is an Executive Director of the Defence Welfare
Association.
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Standing L-R: Garry Jarvis, Rod Ledingham, Rick
Toholka
Seated L-R: Bob Hood, John Clarkson.
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L-R: Bob Fretwell, Margaret Pollett, Jack Pluck,
Bernie Pollett.
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The Balloonist.
A man in a hot air balloon realized
he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He
descended a bit more and shouted: 'Excuse me, can you help me? I
promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I don't know
where I am.' The woman below replied, 'You're in a hot air
balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're
between 35 and 40 degrees south latitude and between 145 and 150
degrees east longitude.'
'You must be an Engineer,' said the
balloonist. 'I am,' replied the woman, 'how did you know?'
'Well,' answered the balloonist, 'everything you have told me is
probably technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of
your information and the fact is, I'm still lost. Frankly,
you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my
trip by your talk.'
The woman below responded, 'You must
be in a senior Officer in the Air Force.' 'I am,' replied the
balloonist, 'but how did you know?' 'Well,' said the woman, 'you
don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen
to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a
promise, which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people
beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in
exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now,
somehow, it's my bloody fault.'
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3 Squadron.
3
Sqn was formed at Point Cook in September 1916 and moved to
England on HMAT
Ulysses for training on AVRO 504 and BE-2e aircraft. This
training lasted for eight months before the Sqn deployed to France the following
year. It was initially
designated 2 Squadron but on the 31st March 1917 (in England) it was redesignated 69 Squadron (Australian) Royal Flying Corps (RFC)
then again on the 20th January 1918 it was finally designated 3 Squadron
AFC. During WW1 its aircraft were used for bombing and
reconnaissance missions in support of British, Canadian and
ANZAC forces and, by the end of hostilities, the unit was
regarded as the best allied reconnaissance squadron in the war.
The Crest at right was used in WW! and the words around the
outside say "Army Co-Operation Squadron".
One of the most
unusual incidents of World War I occurred in December 1917 when
a No 3 Squadron RE8 was attacked by six Albatross scouts. After
bringing down one enemy aircraft, the gunner was mortally
wounded by a bullet which passed through his chest before
striking the pilot in the head, killing him instantly. Although
damaged, the RE8 continued to fly by itself until it ran out of
fuel and landed relatively intact in a snow drift some fifty
miles from the scene of the combat. The Albatross bought down in
this engagement was presented to Australia as a war trophy and
is now on display at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. (See
HERE)
No 3 Squadron was
involved in another unusual event on 21 April 1918 when two of
its aircraft on a photographic mission were attacked by four
German fighters led by Baron von Richthofen, the famous Red
Baron. Despite the fact that these German pilots were the elite
of the German Air Service, the lumbering Australian
reconnaissance machines drove them off. Looking for easier
pickings, the Red Baron made the mistake of descending to low
level over the ANZAC front line, where he was shot down and
killed. The Red Baron's body was subsequently recovered by No 3
Squadron and buried with full military honours. No 3 Squadron
held the remains of his crimson red tri-plane in custody until
they could be handed over to the authorities. Several components
from the Red Baron's aircraft are now on display at the RAAF
Museum.
After the
commencement of World War II, No 3 Squadron sailed for Egypt,
where, despite being heavily outnumbered, they provided air
support to the 8th Army during the ebb and flow of the desert
campaign. No 3 Squadron later participated in the liberation of
Italy and Yugoslavia where the squadron was well regarded for
its highly accurate attacks against enemy shipping. With a score
of 217 enemy aircraft destroyed, No 3 Squadron remains the
highest scoring fighter squadron of the Air Force.
After deploying to
Malaya in 1958, No 3 Squadron Sabres and, later, Mirages
operated from Butterworth as part of the
five-power defence arrangement.
Following its
return to Williamtown in 1986, 3 Squadron received its first
Hornets and, with these state-of-the-art aircraft, the squadron
continues its role as one of the nation's most vital defence
assets. In early 2002, No 3 Squadron performed air defence
operations from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean as part of the
coalition in the International War Against Terrorism. It is one
of the early ones, you can read some of its history
HERE.
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3 Squadron people, both past and present are a proud bunch, a lot of
past members regularly hold social get togethers where people come
from all over the country to meet again old friends, to share a good
meal and a few drinks to relive the old days which seem to get
wilder, bolder, more dangerous and funnier each year.
In November (2014) they met at the Caloundra RSL for lunch and some
quiet refreshment and we went along.
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Those at the get together included:
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L-R: Ted Plant, Noel Sullivan.
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These days Ted is not fairing too well, his kidneys aren’t doing the
job as well as they should and he needs the daily assistance of a
dialysis machine to keep the old bod serviceable. Ted lives up in
Bundaberg (about 300klms north) and it’s a measure of the man and of
his fondness for his old Squadron and the mates he made while
working under the banner that, despite his condition, he made the
effort to “suit up” and make the trip down to Caloundra to be a part
of the reunion.
Noel lives in Townville and he drove down to Caloundra (and back -
just under 1,300 klms each way) to attend the lunch and to meet some
old mates. He did call into Bundy on the way through to see Ted but
missed him as Ted was on the machine at the time, getting the green
tag so he could go down to Caloundra.
Noel also flies down to Brisbane each Anzac Day to march with his
mates.
Tell
that to your civvy mates – they won’t believe you!!
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Jim Hall, Gus Winen. Jim is the President of the Queensland
Branch.
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Allen Chisea, Mal Jamieson, Irma Chiesa, Lois Jamieson.
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Brenda Vogelzang, Meg Sanderson, Sheena Miller.
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Brian Hart, John Porter, John McDonald, Jeannette McDonald,
Kay Hart, Pauline Porter.
A
little bird told us that Brian had his leg crushed under his own car
while trying to stop it from rolling down a hill (01Dec2014). Brian
was removing roof racks from his vehicle, when it rolled forward,
unexpectedly. According to Kay (his wife) Brian became trapped under
one of the wheels of the Mitsubishi Pajero as he rushed to try to
stop it crashing through a timber fence and into a neighbour's yard.
"His
legs actually stopped the car - the wheel of the car was on his
knee," Kay said. He is normally very safety conscious, so I think he
would have had the hand brake on, but for whatever reason the car
has just taken off."
Paramedics and firefighters arrived at their house to find the Brian
still stuck under the vehicle. He was freed and then administered
pain relief before being taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital
for further treatment. At this stage the extent of his leg injuries
are still unknown, however, his ncondition was listed as stable when he
was transported to hospital
That
will give him something to talk about at the next reunion…..
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Carol Hall, Graham Sutcliffe.
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Leslie Farrell, June Handsley, Chris Cooper.
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Jean Newman, Barry and Marie Roberts, Pedro Newman.
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Jeff Latter, Annie Jones. Jeff is the Secretary of the
Queensland Branch.
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Keith Beardsmore, Chris Cooper.
Keith
was on 5 Radio Appy at Frognall which
started in 1951. After Frognall, the course transferred to Ballarat
for 8 months just to remind the
young blokes they were in the Air Force and let them know that
conditions were not going to be 5 star resort style for the rest of
their enlistment as it was at Frognall.
After graduation, he was posted to the
following units:
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2AD Radio at Richmond
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86 Wing at Canberra
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C130A model Herc. Course Training in
USA
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5 years with them at Richmond
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78 Wing Sabres at Butterworth
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11SQN Neppy’s at Richmond
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2AD Radio at Richmond.
He was promoted to WOFF in 1974 then to 2
SQN's Canberras at Amberley then after 26 years he took a discharge
in 1977.
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Leslie Farrell, Geoff and Jan Partridge, Bill Farrell.
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Keith Beardsmore, Ted Plant.
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Maxine Winen, Marie Latter.
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Pat Rowell, Jan Partridge.
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John and Jeannette McDonald.
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After
everyone had eaten a hearty lunch, it was time to head back to the
private “Members Only” bar area where everyone was entertained by
“Long John” Best.
For those that don’t know John, he’s an ex 3 Squadron armourer and a
more laid back and laconic bloke you would have to look hard to find. He
was born in England in 1938 and migrated to Australia in 1948 and
joined the RAAF as an appy in 1954 and spent the next 15 years as an
Armament Fitter which included two years, (from 1958 to 60) at that
paradise up north, Butterworth. He discharged in 1969 and had a
number of jobs including working with people with disabilities. He’s
a late comer to Bush Poetry and initially he performed other
people’s
material but eventually he took up writing his own material and
although success was a bit slow catching up to him, perseverance
prevailed and in 2001 he started to win some championships -
Bundaberg, (three times) Millmerran, North Pine (twice).
He won trip to the US in January 2003 courtesy Qantas Waltzing
Matilda Competition at Winton which he says was a wonderful
experience. He has performed regularly in Nursing Homes and Service
Club functions also at the Tamworth Festival, many Gympie Musters,
Beef Week Casino, Many Caravan and Camping Shows, (in Brisbane),
Woodford Folk Festivals, Ingham’s Australian Italian, Chinchilla’s
Melon Festival and many State and Local Government functions.
He won the Australian Championship Traditional section in Charters
Towers in 2006 and judged and entertained at Australian Champs
Charters Towers, Corryong and Oracles of the Bush Tenterfied 2005.
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If you’ve got a “DO” coming up and you’re looking for some great
entertainment, give him a call, you can email him
HERE.
You can hear a sample of his wit and excellent delivery
HERE.
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