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Contents.
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Alan Joseph Curr.
Sadly, “Big Al” passed away on the 1st May 2022, he was only 73 years old. Al was a fighter but unfortunately, cancer was a battle he was not able to defeat. He joined the RAAF and in 1967 was posted down to Sale to undertake a Navigator's Course. He served with 2 Sqn in Phan Rang as a navigator on Canberras from 22 Oct 1969 to 08 Oct 1970. On his return to Australia, he was posted to 37 Sqn and had a further 8 trips back to Vietnam in the E model. After 37 Sqn, he converted to F-111s in 1974 and flew in the right hand seat on a number of postings to Amberley until 2004.
A memorial for “Big Al” which was well attended, was held at the Caloundra RSL on the 23rd May. Those present included:
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A lot of these pics have been crunched to allow the page to open quicker - you can get the HD version by clicking the pic. |
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An estimated 240 family, fellow service people and friends willingly gave of their time to attend the memorial and farewell their friend "Big Al."
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AVM Dave Dunlop (Ret'd) and AVM Julie Hammer (Ret'd). Dave gave a respectful and at times a humorous Eulogy on "Big Al's life.
You can read it HERE.
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Cathy Stamp and Greg Roberts. Cathy, who is the President of the RSL Services Club, spent 28 years in the Air Force, in the Clerk and Admino musterings, most of which was held at Amberley. Greg was an Elec Fitter and was the Sgt at 2 Sqn Phan Rang from April 1967 to March 1968.
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Daryll Macklin, Kathleen Welch and Col Host.
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David and Beverley Clarkson, David and Gillian Smith, David Charles, Nev and Rhoda Duus.
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Elvie and David Chomley. Elvie and David lived next door to "Big Al" and said the neighbourhood will be a lot quieter now - Al will be sorely missed.
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Al's lovely daughter Jasmine. Jasmine paid a loving tribute to her dad.
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Paige, Zoe, Louise, Steven and Lindy Stankevicius.
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Al's twin brother Peter, aka Pedro, and his extended family. Unlike Al, Peter joined the Army but like Al, also served in Vietnam from April 1971 to Feb 1972.
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Stu Cooper. Stu flew the F-111 with Al.
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Lindy Stankevisius and Phil "Curly" Ware. Lindy was married to Tony Stankevicius who sadly also passed away recently. Phil was an AEO in the Air Force, he spent time in Vietnam from May 1966 to June 1966. On return to Australia he was posted to Radschool as an instructor to the budding AEOs.
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Suzette Boyd and Jennifer Thoroughgood. Both these lovely ladies were nursing sisters in the RAAF and served at 3, 4 and 6 RAAF hospitals.
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Members of the veterans Pelican Waters golf club, of which Al was a Captain.
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The RSL provided a Poppy Service in memory of Al, with family and fellow service people invited to place a poppy as a mark of respect. Click the pic below to see the service.
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At the conclusion of the ceremony, Jasmine was presented with the Australian Flag and a copy of the Ode.
The caption at the bottom of the flag reads:
"On behalf of the President of the Caloundra RSL Sub-Branch and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's honourable and faithful service."
A very thoughtful and respectful gesture.
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Cathy Stamp, the President of the RSL Services Club, then invited everyone to participate in the wonderful spread laid out by Club Staff and if they so desired, to enjoy a quiet refreshing ale.
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The "refreshing ale" invitation did not need repeating.
Those that attended stayed well into the afternoon. A very fitting memorial for a great and well loved bloke.
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Dorothy Lowe (nee Dottie Hodge).
Kerry Harrington advises the sad passing of Dottie, as she was known to all, on the 2nd May; cancer was involved. There was a Memorial Service held at the Noarlunga Panthers Football Club, Old Noarlunga, on Saturday 7th May.
Chris “Smurf” Smith.
Mike “Smiley” Harris, of the RAAF Mirage Mob, advises the passing of ex-Mirage Gunnie, Chris (Smurf) Smith at the John Hunter Hospital. (Sorry we don’t have the date of his death). His funeral was held on Friday the 27th May at Palmdale Lawn Cemetery and Memorial Park in Palmdale in the Hillside Chapel.
James Patrick “Paddy” Duffy.
Paddy was born in Toowoomba but grew up in Launceston Tasmania. He was a 1st Intake National Serviceman, doing his recruit training at 2 RTB at Puckapunyal and his Corps training at Infantry Centre. He joined 5 RAR in December 1965, with 1 Platoon, Delta Company and completed his training for deployment to South Vietnam. Paddy arrived in Vietnam on 6 May 1966 and acclimatised at Vung Tau. During Operation Hardihood on 10 June, about 19 kilometres north of Vung Tau, 1 Platoon received incoming mortar fire. Paddy lost a couple of fingers and had a shrapnel wound to the buttocks when a mortar shell landed too close. From all reports he may have been one of the first, if not the first, National Serviceman to be wounded. The Battalion lost one member KIA and 4 others WIA. Paddy was repatriated to Australia on 5 July. He served for many years with the Tasmanian Police in Hobart, reaching the rank of Inspector.
I went to school with Paddy – he was a keen sportsman, good at football and swimming – a real good bloke.
Mick Lawson.
Kerry “Kero” Harrington advises the passing of Mick Lawson on the 10th May 2022. Mick’s funeral was held by Morleys Funerals in Townsville on Friday the 27th May, following which light refreshments were held at the Australian Hotel on Palmer St. Mick was on 1 TMT.
Denis Warnecke.
Mick Willis advises that Denis Warnecke passed away on the 25th April, having been in a Hastings Nursing Home for some time. Denis was an Education Officer for most of his RAAF service, but switched to Supply in the latter years. He was well known by many Engineers in HQLC and elsewhere with whom he served. His funeral was held on Friday 6th May 2022 in Clayton, Victoria.
William “Bill” George Beazley.
Geoff Partridge advises the passing of Bill Beazley at Tweed Heads on the 9th April. His funeral was held on the 20th April. Bill was a Radtech, he joined the RAAF in 1948 as a Radio Appy on 2 Appy and spent 20 years in overalls before taking a commission. He retired as a WngCdr.
William Ross Gilbey.
Arthur Rennick advises the passing of William Gilbey who left us on the 12th May 2022 while living at Tenterfield. William was an ADG and had two tours of Vietnam. In October 1967 he was posted to 2 Sqn in Phan Rang, returning to Australia in Feb 1968. Then in Sept 1970 he was posted back to Phan Rang and in Feb 1971 he was posted down to Vung Tau to 1OSU, then to 9 Sqn where he was a gunner on the Bushrangers. He was finally returned to Australia in September 1971.
His funeral was held at Tenterfield on the 12th May 2022.
Graeme Skinner.
May Skinner advised the passing of her husband, Graeme, who passed away on the 30th March 2022. Graeme was a Radtech and was on 18 Radio Appy. He lived in Mandurah in WA and sadly suffered a 2 year battle with multi myeloma.
Graeme’s funeral was held on the 6th April 2022.
John MacNaughtan.
Bob Bennett advises the passing of AirCdre Ret’d John MacNaughtan, AM, CSC, Msc, BE. John passed away on the 24th April after being ill for some time. He was 82 years old and lived in the ACT.
John enlisted in the RAAF on 24th July 1957 via the Undergraduate Scheme and was commissioned as a flying officer after completing his Bachelor of Engineering (Aeronautical) degree at Sydney University in 1961. John was a member of the Mirage Acquisition Team in Paris. Générale Aéronautique Marcel Dassault (GAMD) was contractually responsible for the provision of technical and other documentation in the English language, consequently, RAAF staff were required to proofread translated copies of all aircraft and engine maintenance and overhaul publications. The bulk of the drafts of the first editions were proofread by Flying Officers Dinny O'Brien and John MacNaughtan.
John attended College of Aeronautics Cranfield UK where he was awarded a Diploma which later may have been upgraded retrospectively to a Master of Science (Msc) degree. He had a long and distinguished RAAF career (42 Years) and served in Mirage units 2OCU, and 481(M) Squadron, including as CO of 481(M) Squadron from Jan 1981 - Dec 1982.
Honours and Awards:
His funeral was held on the 16th May in Hawker ACT.
Graham Padget.
Brian Webb advises Graham passed away on the 17th May and his funeral was held on the 30th May 2022 at the Karrinyup Anglican Church in Karrinyup, WA. Sorry, no further details.
Alan Gunn
We’ve been advised that Alan passed away on the 17th May 2022 after a debilitating illness. His funeral was held in Padbury, north of Perth, on Tuesday the 31st May 2022. Sorry, no further details.
Douglas William Pickering.
Sadly Doug Pickering passed away on the 25 May, 2022. He had been fighting cancer for some time, though being Doug, he never mentioned or complained about it, but, as is usually the case, it won the fight in the end. Doug was only 72 years old.
Doug joined the Air Force in 1966 as an Apprentice Electrician. After graduating from Wagga, he was posted to Pearce after which it was back east to Amberley to get to know the Canberra. In 1970 it was off to 2 Sqn in Phan Rang in Vietnam and on his return to Australia in June 1971, he was posted to 5 Sqn in Canberra to look after the Iroquois. This is where he met his lovely wife Dianne. In 1977, while with 5 Sqn, he spent 6 months on a tour to Ismaila with UNEF (The United Nations Emergency Force) which had the role of supervising the Yom Kippur War ceasefire between Egypt and Israel. The 5 Sqn detachment served with the UNEF II from July 1976 to August 1979.
In 1978, after returning to Australia, he was posted back to Pearce, then east again, this time to Richmond then up north to Amberley then down to Support Command in Melbourne where he got his W/Os. He stayed at Support Command until posted back to Amberley. In 1990 he took a discharge.
After discharge he had a variety of jobs, including with the ATO, in the rag trade and at one stage in the Child Support agency and finally with the Tax Agents Board.
Doug’s funeral was held on Tuesday the 7th June at the Centenary Memorial Gardens in Sumner, a south western suburb of Brisbane. Approx 250 of his family and friends attended to pay their respects to Doug – this number just goes to show the high regard people had of him.
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People arriving at the Chapel at the Sumner Memorial Gardens.
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The Kenmore/Moggill RSL Sub-Branch, of which Doug was a faithful and regular supporter, conducted a Poppy Service.
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After the ceremony, Dianne and family invited everyone to the rear of the Chapel for light snacks and to get together where lots of Doug’s “exploits” were swapped.
Doug was the President of the 2Sqn Association for ages and always attended their functions. He was a good bloke, a good mate and will be sadly missed by his family and many friends.
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Barry Seedsman.
Barry Seedsman was on number two Radio Apprentice course and went on to become a Caribou pilot in Vietnam and was awarded the DFC. He retired as a Wing Commander.
Barry was CO of 35 Sqn from Nov 1968 to Nov 1969 – when the A team ruled Vung Tau.
He was awarded the silver Polar Medal in 1979 as reward for his service with the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition as OIC Casey.
Barry died in Canberra on Tuesday 13 Sept.
Peter Hackett.
Peter was a pilot and flew with 2 Sqn in Vietnam from Apr 1967 to Oct 1967. He passed away on the 19th May 2022 and his Funeral was held at Little Bay, (formerly known as The Australian Nurses War Memorial Chapel) south of Maroubra, in NSW on 16 June 1922.
Peter’s family lived in St Kilda before he joined the RAAF in 1961 as a Cadet Aircrew on No. 44 Pilots Course at No.1 BFTS, Point Cook. He was a very popular member of his course, which was the first composite course to have the last group of RAAF College graduates and direct entry cadets.
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Standing L-R: Brian E O'Shea, Bill D Baggett, Graeme W Boxall, Ken E Wootten, Ron L Biddell, KC Moore, Peter J Hackett. Seated L-R: Alex Marshall (Army), Roger A Wilson, Ray J Butler, Murray Wallace (Army). Insert Glen Maynard.
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He graduated in late November 1962 and the Reviewing Officer was HRH, The Duke of Edinburgh, who was in Perth to open the Commonwealth Games. Peter was selected for fighters and was posted to No 2 OCU at Williamtown for conversion to the Sabre. There was a slight delay in the training schedule and he joined No 17 Sabre OCU after which he was posted, along with all six graduates to Butterworth in Malaysia in December 1963. Peter joined 77SQN and flew operational missions during Confrontation, including a tour at Labuan in Borneo. He also served four tours in 79SQN in Ubon Thailand on the Sabre. At the conclusion of this posting in mid-1966, he was selected to be amongst the initial cadre of crews to be trained on the F-111. As a precursor to the F-111, he completed a Canberra conversion at Amberley and was on the first deployment of 2SQN to Phan Rang in Vietnam in 1967. Following the completion of his tour at Phan Rang, he spent 1968 in the US training on the F-111.
As the F-111 project was put on hold, Peter was posted to CFS in late 69 to undergo Instructor training after which he was posted to No 2 FTS at Pearce on the Macchi 326 trainer. He flew the Macchi Pair aero display with later AM Doug Riding, for all the RAAF 50th Anniversary displays in 1971.
In late 1971, he was posted to 2OCU at Williamtown where he completed an abbreviated Mirage Conversion and remained on staff before being selected in the team involved in the gifting of retired Sabres to the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU). He subsequently served at Ishwahudi Air Base in Indonesia as the CO of the Sabre Advisory Unit assisting the TNI. He returned to the staff of 2OCU in 1974 before being posted to the personnel staff in Canberra in 1976.
He completed RAAF Staff College in 1979 and remained on staff until in the 79 posting cycle when he was selected as Commanding Officer No. 6 SQN F-111 Strike and Reconnaissance Squadron. He completed the conversion course and assumed command in July 1980, serving for just under two years, when he was promoted to GPCAPT and posted to be the RAAF Diplomatic and Defence Advisor to the Australian High Commission, London.
On return to Australia he was appointed as DPO-AF - Director Personnel - Officers. After this posting. Peter resigned from the RAAF to assume the position of Chairman of the Corrective Services Commission of NSW for a few years after which he went into private consultancies successfully owning and operating three businesses. He became a graduate of the Monash/Mount Eliza School of Business, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Peter married his wife Colleen in Perth a few days after his graduation in 1962 and they had four sons, three of whom moved to the USA, where Peter spent the final few years of his life north of San Francisco. He returned to Australia in 2021.
Postings:
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Honours and Awards:
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Funeral Arrangements.
Peter’s funeral service ran for about 45 mins after which there was an RSL Service covering Peter’s military record, awards, thanks for his service and an invitation to any serving or ex-military to lay poppies on the coffin as the last post was played. Approx.
‘Pidge’ as he was more well known was one of the characters of his era. Convivial and ever gregarious, he was liked and admired by all who knew and worked with/ for him.
He was 82
Lawson D Stein.
Don Payne advises the passing of Lawson Stein. Lawson, who was nicknamed Von, came from Norsman in WA and was an engine Fitter on 12 Appy (Wombats). He was posted to RTFV/35Sqn in Vietnam from Oct 1965 to 20 June 1966 after which he was posted to Point Cook to work on the Winjeels.
Sorry, no further details.
John Chiller.
Adrian Lutz advises the passing of John Chiller pn the 17 June at the lyell McEwan Hospital in Elizabeth Vale, SA.
John served with 2 Sqn in Vietnam from May 1969 to May 1970. He was a Service Policeman.
Sorry, no further deails.
Don Dalgleish.
We have been advised that Don Dalgleish passed away on the 3rd June after a long illness. Don was on 6 Radio Appy. Sorry, no further details.
Ray Hall.
We have been advised that Chris Hall passed away on the 1st August after a fall and prior to that Covid 19.
Ray was an Equipo and served with 2 Sqn in Vietnam from Jan 1969 to Dec 1969. Prior to that he was with 36 Sqn and made 5 trips to Vietnam on the A models, then after 2 Sqn he was posted to 37 Sqn and made further 9 trips back to Vietnam on the E model.
Sorry, no further details.
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