Radschool Association Magazine

Vol 55

Page 3

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Our lovely Page 3 girl this edition is Mary Thompson.

Mary Elisabeth Lubbers, as she was known in the WRAAF, was born in Indonesia. Her father Johann Lubbers, worked in the coal mines in Limburg Province, Netherlands before enlisting in the Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger (Royal Netherlands East Indies Army) in January 1937. He married Otillie Krautscheid of Heerlen, Limburg by proxy on 26th August 1937 and Maria was born on 3rd January 1939 in Batavia (Djakarta), Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia).

In 1942, during World War II, she and her mother, along with other women and children, were transferred to Malang, Java from Ambon due to the approach of the Japanese forces. (Other women and children were repatriated to Australia). When the Japanese occupied Java they were held in Malang and other places before being interned in Camp 6, Ambarawa, Java (then Bewoners Ambarawa 6) where they remained for the duration of the war.

Her father was captured at Ambon and transferred by ship to Hainan Island where he remained for the duration of the war. On the 6th April 1945 he, along with two fellow Dutchmen, escaped into the mountains. They were looked after by the Chinese inhabitants. On the 6th June 1945 they met up with 6 Australian soldiers, Major McRae, Ron Leech, Ferd Perrin, Miles Higgins, Tom Lockwood & Stewart Campbell, When they were rescued at the end of the war they were repatriated to Hong Kong.

Thinking their husband/father had not survived, Maria and her mother were repatriated by ship to Holland via the Suez Canal. During the journey they were provided with new clothing in Aden. The family was reunited in Holland. The family returned to the East Indies in 1947 and her brother, Johann Robert, was born on 31st March 1948, in Tjimahi, Java. On 19th August 1949 her twin sisters, Evelien Matilde and Magdalena Augustus, were born in Padang, Sumatra.

Maria, Johann & Otillie Lubbers.

When the Dutch were forced out of Indonesia in 1950 the family returned to Holland aboard the M.V. “Cheshire”. Tragically, Evelien became ill and passed away near Gibraltar on 7th June 1950 and her body was committed to the sea as the ship passed through the Bay of Biscay.

On arriving in Holland her father gained employment with Philips Industries in Eindhoven, Brabant, Netherlands. Sadly, Maria’s brother Karel died soon after birth on 27th February 1951 in Eindhoven. In 1953 her father was offered the opportunity to become a share-farmer in Australia with Tom Lockwood, one of the Australian soldiers he had survived with on Hainan Island. He accepted the offer and the family arrived in Melbourne on 3rd November 1953 (Melbourne Cup Day) aboard the Dutch ship M.V. “Johan van Oldenbarnevelt”. They settled on the share-farm in Pearcedale near Frankston, Victoria. Her father’s previous experience as a miner and soldier did not help to provide him with any farming skills so they left the farm and moved to Mount Evelyn where he obtained employment with a steel fabrication firm in Lilydale.

Maria had always been called “Mia” (mee ah) by her family and friends but decided to take the name of “Mary” now that she was in Australia. She attended school for a short period but family circumstances forced her to seek employment with Hickory, makers of female underwear, in Frankston. She then went to work for Victorian Railways at Lilydale when the family moved to Mt Evelyn.

Mary became a Naturalized Australian Citizen at Lilydale, Victoria on 21st August 1958.

She enlisted in the Womens’ Royal Australian Air Force on 15th October 1958, given the Service Number W314747 and commenced her Air Force career on Recruit Training Course 92 at RAAF Point Cook, Victoria before she was posted to RAAF School of Radio, Ballarat, Victoria to undergo training as a Teleprinter Operator. She commenced training with No 2 Teleprinter Operator Course (16 Dec 58 – 7 Mar 59) but her training was suspended on 19th January 1959 due to her hospitalisation in 6 RAAF Hospital, Laverton. She went on to complete her training with No 3 Teleprinter Operator Course (2 Mar 59 – 4 Jun 59).

On completion of training she was in turn posted to RAAF Melbourne Telecommunications Unit, “Frognall” situated at 54 Mont Albert Road, Canterbury. Shortly afterwards her family returned to Holland leaving her alone in Australia.

In August 1960 she met Ray “RG” Thompson when he was posted to “Frognall” from Butterworth, Malaya. They became engaged in September 1961 and Mary was discharged from the WRAAF on 24th January 1962. They were married in Saint Mark’s Church of England, Burke Road, Camberwell on Saturday, 27th January 1962 with her friend and fellow Teleprinter Operator Maureen “Darcy” Duggan being her Bridesmaid.

In September 1962, Ray was posted to Darwin and Mary went to live with his parents in Silkwood, North Queensland until suitable accommodation could be found in Darwin. Shortly after the birth of their daughter Jeanette Frances at the Innisfail Hospital on 26th October 1962 she travelled with Ray and daughter to Darwin. Whilst in Darwin she worked for some time at Millars & Sandovers in Smith Street.

They left Darwin on 15th August 1965 travelling by car to Sydney, where they boarded the Shaw Saville ship “Northern Star” for Southampton via New Zealand, Cook Islands, Tahiti, Acapulco, Panama City, Panama Canal, Curacao, Trinidad and Lisbon. They were met there by Mary’s parents and travelled to Harwick via London and caught the Channel Ferry to Hook of Holland.

Ray returned to Australia by air in November 1965 on posting to “Frognall”. Mary & Jeanette returned to Australia in early 1966 aboard the P&O ship “Himalaya”. On 21st April 1966 their son Robert Johan was born in Saint George’s Hospital, Kew. The family remained in Melbourne until Ray was discharged from the RAAF on 29th May 1967.

Ray gained employment with the Commonwealth Department of Civil Aviation in Townsville and their second daughter Raylene Mary was born in the Mater Hospital on 15th August 1968. The family remained there until being transferred to Madang, in Papua New Guinea (the Jewel of the Pacific) in September 1969.

Whilst in Madang Mary worked in the office of Steamships Trading Company. Just after Christmas 1971 they flew to Port Moresby and boarded a ship to sail to Singapore via Djakarta from where they travelled by air to Holland via England. Ray had been transferred to Sydney and he returned there in April 1972 with Mary and the children returning in July.

In October 1973 Ray was transferred back to Townsville where Mary worked for Carfoots in Flinders Street and then Gordon Lee Holden on Charters Towers Road before starting an overnight transport business operating between Townsville and Cairns. The business was sold in 1981 and Ray was transferred to Brisbane in October 1982 where they bought their first home in the suburb of Mansfield.

Ray accepted a Redundancy Package from Air Services Australia in January 1992 and they sold their Mansfield home and purchased another in Cleveland, a Bayside suburb of Brisbane. Their daughter Raylene gave birth to their only grandchild, Eilish Brooke ALEXANDER, on 20th September 1997.

In November 2002 they sold their Cleveland home and moved into a 3 bedroom Independent unit at the Prins Willem Alexander Retirement Village in Birkdale, another Bayside suburb. The residents of the village being mostly Dutch, Mary decided that she would prefer to be called “Mia” again. Mary accompanied Ray to some earlier Djinnang Reunions but has not done so for many years due to her poor health.

Now that food has replaced sex in my life, I can’t even get into my own pants.

OTS Course 84. 1969.

Back Row L-R: Barry White, Fred Kennedy, Bruce Olsen, Floyd Wilson, Bob Holsken, Mike McCracken, Col Giles, Dave Edwards.

Middle Row L-R: Dave Spicer, Bill Best, Nev “Noddy” Clarke, Chris Hou, Laurie Lindsay, Ken Jones, Tom Kerry, Lochlon Woodgate.

Front Row L-R: Stan rogers, Alan Williams, Noel Martin, Sam Dean, Dave Prowse, Paul Dickie, Robert Seiffert, Zenon Cickszo.

Warning!

There’s an email going around offering processed pork, gelatine and salt in a can.

If you get this email DO NOT OPEN IT!! It’s SPAM.

30 Radio Appy Course. 1977.

We don't have all the names, if you can help, please do!

Back Row L-R: Don't know, don't know, Mick Fergus, Mick Hutchins, Rob Randal, Greg Whitney, Dave Marr, Don't know, Mick Crockford, Don't know, Greg Smith.