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Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling provides 24/7 free confidential crisis support for current and ex-serving ADF personnel and their families on 1800 011 046 or the Open Arms website. Safe Zone Support provides anonymous counselling on 1800 142 072.
Contents.
New DVA Secretary.
On 15 December, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the appointment of Ms Alison Frame (right) as the Secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
Ms Frame comes from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet where she has been in the role of Deputy Secretary, Social Policy. She has been a senior public servant for both the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments in a range of complex service delivery and policy roles. Ms Frame brings significant experience working with stakeholders and leading staff to deliver positive outcomes for the community.
Ms Frame's five-year appointment will commence on 23 January 2023.
‘I congratulate Alison on the appointment and look forward to working with her in this new capacity,’ Mr Albanese said.
‘I also thank Ms Elizabeth Cosson AM CSC for her service as Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs since May 2018. She has been a passionate advocate for improving services for Veterans and their families.
A changeover to a new Secretary in January 2023 will provide for continuity in the department's leadership during the finalisation of the 2023–24 Budget process, 2023 Anzac Day commemorations and the ongoing response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
Big job! – good luck to her we say. tb.
Pay Rise.
All ADF personnel will receive a pay rise of 11.2 per cent over three years after the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal agreed to the latest Workplace Remuneration Arrangement (WRA) on October 3. Under the WRA 2023-26, personnel will receive the increase to their salary and salary-related allowances with no loss of conditions of service.
The increase will be distributed as 4 per cent in year one, 3.8 per cent in year two and 3.4 per cent in year three.
The new arrangement takes effect from the 9th November and ADF personnel will see the first 4 per cent increase in their pay on the 23rd November. The subsequent pay rises will occur in November 2024 and November 2025.
Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell said he was committed to recognising in salary people’s skills and contribution to capability, particularly as Defence undergoes a period of significant change while it implements the Defence Strategic Review (DSR).
“One of the DSR’s critical priorities is to ensure that we have an integrated force to deliver enhanced combat power. To achieve this, we must retain and grow our workforce,” General Campbell said.
ADF pay scales these days are a lot different to what we enjoyed. The pic above is from my Pay Book back in June 1971 (I could never understand it) when the fortnightly pay was $43.46 with no allowances. And we managed.
Back in August 2022, an LAC on PAA (what ever that is) would earn $2,768 per fortnight, that’s $197/day. Though how anyone would know what salary they were due is anyone’s guess, have a look at THIS.
RTC 1234 Reunion.
Brett Worth got in touch, he said: “I joined in January 1974 and after completing rookies on RTC1234 in Edinburgh, went to Rad School on Course 76. When I was in Rad 5 we moved from the Nissan Huts to the new Radschool building at Laverton. Our entire RTC 1234 course became Radschool course 76 which I think was unusual at the time.
One of our guys is trying to arrange a 50 year reunion for January next year and I was wondering if you would be able to point me at any resources for tracking them down. We've found about half of the 22 on RTC1234 so far but need all the help we can get.
If there's anything you might be able to suggest it would be greatly appreciated’.
If you were on Rookies Course 1234 and would be interested in getting together with your mates, let us know and we’ll put you in touch with Brett.
Happy 100th Birthday Jock Cassels.
Jock Young was in Richmond, NSW, on the 12th August and helped Jock Cassels celebrate his 100th birthday (his actual birthday was the 11th). We served with Jock at 38 Sqn in Richmond back in the 1960s when he flew the Caribou and we remember him as a great bloke, always had time for a chat with us lowly LACs – not like a few others we remember.
Jock, who was born in Scotland in 1923, served in two Air Forces and fought in two wars. During WW2 he was captured and held as a POW. After the war he returned to the UK and was discharged from the RAF in 1966. As a civvy in the UK, he saw an advert in the local paper calling for pilots in the RAAF, he applied, was accepted and very soon it was off to Australia.
He was posted to 38Sqn at Richmond, arriving late in 1966, (6 months before me) and began conversion onto the Caribou. In August 1968, with the rank of Flt Lt, he was posted to Vietnam, war number 2.
Jock has managed to combine many lifetimes into his 100 years, a great bloke. You can read the story of his life HERE.
Help Wanted.
Roger Bailey got in touch, he said: I'm compiling a list of the people I have come across in my life before I forget too many. Some days a name will spring out of nowhere but 5 minutes later I have forgotten the name I just recalled.
Do you, or anybody, recall the name of the Sgt SP from Laverton?. He was there at least in the mid 60s. I remember that he was disliked by 'everybody' and I thought to myself that his wife was probably his only supporter, that is until I remembered that he wasn't married so I imagine the total number of his admirers was zero.
Also, what was the name of the Corporal SP from Laverton that was found guilty via a court martial in 1966 of stealing people's wallets from their room while they were sleeping? His sentence was a classic - he was demoted to an AC General Hand with permanent posting to Laverton. I saw him a few months later and he was weeding the garden outside the canteen. The cops followed him after he took a wallet and saw him throw it on the roof of the adjacent building. When they had a closer look, they found all of the missing wallets but all were missing the money.
If you can help, let us know and we’ll pass on your info to Roger.
26 Radio Appy Reunion
On the 4th march this year, 15 ex Appies and their partners got together in Hobbit for a good old get together. A highlight of the event was the trip north to Oatlands, the home of Callington Whisky.
Oatlands is home of the world class Callington Whiskey Distillery and the Air Force Association (Tas) organised a bus trip up and back to Oatlands so the troops could sample the Distillery’s delights.
Click the pic for a bigger copy
As Tasmania is the 26th largest island on the planet, it was natural that 26RAC had their reunion in its Capital where old and new friendships were renewed, remembering great mates sadly passed.
The Winfield Cup.
THOSE were the days of great rugby league. (You can only replay this 7 times girls)
Vietnam.
Peter Roberts, who organises many bike rides in Oz and overseas recently wrote, he said: We had a great ride on RallyIndochina in March/April 2023 and it was more like a 980km motocross than a rally. We had hoped to raised US$15k to pay for a kindergarten for the Hmong kids, but ended up raising US$37k. We lost two riders along the way; one with a bad leg injury and the other freaked out over the difficulty of the ride.
Another 75 year old Yank fell off three times with minor injuries, but kept going.
My wife and I and our ex-son-in-law kept our bikes and rode another 1000kms down through central Vietnam after the rally. We came back to Australia totally exhausted.
There are some pics below, and lots more here Vietnam 2023
Peter Roberts.
Helmets? What's a helmet?
How does this work?
Bike Central.
The nice one.
And you left the toilet seat up?
Captain Reg Saunders.
Reg Saunders was a man known for his charm.
Long before he worked as a public servant in Canberra, he served in two conflicts — World War II and the Korean War. Even in death, he is still known for his ability to bring people together.
"He was able to bridge gaps between people and generations," Australian War Memorial curator Garth O'Connell said. "He was a leader — he believed in actions, not just words."
Captain Saunders was also the first Aboriginal to be commissioned as an officer, but Captain Saunders is unusual in that he was acknowledged for his role as an Aboriginal man to serve in the Australian army in overseas conflicts. Now, the Australian War Memorial has identified more than 60 Aboriginal men who served in the Korean War, 70 years after the Korean Armistice
A life of service.
Lieutenants Reg Saunders and Tom Derrick VC congratulate each other on receiving their commissions in November 1944.
As a result of his achievements, Captain Saunders was awarded for his command of the Royal Australian Regiment in Korea. His military career was peppered with extraordinary experiences, including a year he spent on Crete during World War II, hiding behind enemy lines. He also recalled in vivid detail the horrors of Korea, including the time he and another soldier found a baby alone in a house, and risked their lives to take her to a hospital for care.
"It's certainly an experience that you could only have in war," he said in an interview in 1989. "It changed me, it changed my inner me. "I've seen people suffer as no people have suffered before... even little children."
While Captain Saunders did serve Australia in an official sense, he later said he had served country rather than king or queen. As a public servant in the 70s and 80s, he went on to champion the Aboriginal cause, working in the Indigenous affairs sector. He was frank about what had motivated him during his military career. "I don't owe any allegiance to the Queen, they tried to blood destroy me, and my family, my tribe, my people," he said. "I love my country very much, so my loyalty was purely Australian."
‘Fighting to be recognised’
Researchers have been investigating the role of Indigenous soldiers in Australian conflicts.
More than 17,000 Australians served during the Korean War, 340 of whom were killed and over 1,216 wounded; 30 became prisoners of war. The armistice, which continues today, was signed at 10am on July 27, 1953.
Australian War Memorial Indigenous Liaison Officer Michael Bell led the research on contributions and service of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. "I believe these men were fighting for more than their country, they were fighting to be recognised," Mr Bell said. "It was a significant transition period for our people at home and their role in the defence forces overseas." Kelly said the Korean conflict had long been described as the "forgotten war". "Australian battalions fought several significant actions, including the battles of Kapyong and Maryang San, often against overwhelming odds," he said.
"The Korean Armistice Agreement 70 years ago was a time in the world's history when the United Nations was truly able to have an impact." The memorial's curators believe they will uncover more First Nations servicemen that were previously forgotten for their military service. The process of recognising their sacrifice continues the work Captain Saunders did during his lifetime, to highlight the role of Indigenous people in conflict.
Mr Bell said the reaction of the families of those now named had been one of emotion. "The overwhelming reaction has been 'Wonderful, it's about time, we didn't realise that you did want our story'," he said
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