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Breaking
News,
Updates
& Reminders
(updated:
10-May-2012)
Not all are listed
below,
so always check out the
What's New page
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Anzac Day 2012
Click here to read the Secretary's Anzac Day 2012 report.
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Coral Sea Battle
There was an interesting article in last Saturday's (21 April) "The West
Australian" newspaper, which featured a story on one of our 'oldest and
boldest' members Tom Fisher OAM JP.
The story relates to Tom's time on the Hobart during the Battle of the
Coral Sea.
Click here to read the article.
*******
Veterans Retreat
The “Murraguldrie Veterans Retreat” in the Murraguldrie State Forest and
is managed and operated by the VV South West NSW & Wagga Inc. The
sub-branch committee manages the retreat and arranges Working Bees and
the general maintenance schedule. The retreat is funded through Visitor
donations and at the present time some sub-branch money as well as DVA
grants for major projects; so all donations received from those that use
the retreat are spent on the retreat.
Retreat Flyer
Retreat Update 2012 for ESO's
*******
Motor Vehicle Compensation Scheme for Former & Serving Member of
the ADF
The scheme assists serving and former Australian Defence Force members
who have suffered a significant injury, disease or impairment caused by
their service on or after 1 July 2004 to regain a degree of transport
mobility.
More.....
*******
VALE Helen Grogan
It is with great sadness we have to inform you of the passing
of Associate member Helen Grogan, wife of our esteemed President, Marty
Grogan. After a very long illness, and a mammoth fight, Helen finally
succumbed at 1400 on Thursday 23 February 2012. The committee on behalf
of you, our members, extend their sincere condolences to Marty, Darren,
Jackie & Wendy.
A plaque has been placed on the Associates section of our Memorial Wall
in the Chapel.
*******
Stand Tall for PTSD
The National launch of the Post Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD)
Awareness Campaign, Manuka Oval, Canberra, November 25th, 2012.
More.....
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Clean Energy Future Household Assistance Package
From mid-June 2012, around 350,000 members of the veteran community will
be eligible to receive assistance through the Household Assistance
Package for the cost of living impact of the carbon price.
Amounts payable under the Household Assistance Package...
*******
Anzac Day 2012 Assembly Plan in Melbourne
*******
Once again, master model maker Max Montague opened his house to the
cadets of TS Voyager. This time the cadets were set a task of finding
certain articles that were placed in the models when Max first built
them. eg. on one of the ships inside the helicopter theres a slab of VB
(Victoria Bitter). On the Sydney II there's a pair of binoculars in the
bridge. There's also a sailor's hat sitting on a locker. It made for an
interesting and most enjoyable day. Also in attendance was Maritime
Artist, Randall Wilson. At the end of the day, Randall presented each
cadet with a print of one of his paintings.
Click here to view the slideshow on YouTube.
*******
A new website has been established to help as many people as possible,
recognise the symptoms of the condition Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
or PTSD.
Stand Tall for PTSD.
*******
An agreement has just been finalised between the RANCCF and Quiksilver,
Roxy and DC clothing and accessories.
More.....
*******
Lindsay Birrell, our UK Representative, is leading a tour to Gallipoli
leaving Australia on 10th April 2012 on behalf of Legacy Australia and
would welcome members joining the Tour. Please consult
www.onthegotours.com/turkey/legacytour This tour will take
place each year until 2015, the 100th anniversary of the landing at
Gallipoli. All proceeds to be used in caring for the families of deceased
veterans.
www.londonlegacy.org
*******
AUSTRALIA’S greatest naval disaster – the sinking of the HMAS Sydney —
was remembered at Ballarat’s Urquhart Park Primary school yesterday.
Grade 6 pupil and school captain Laura Benney was researching the
November 1941 sinking as part of a class assignment, when she wrote to
the HMAS Sydney Veteran’s Association for more information.
More.....
View photos of the day
View the WINTV News video
*******
Our History is now in the Australian War Memorial.
The History of the HMAS Sydney & VLSVA and their fight for
recognition of war service has been accepted into the AWM's Private
Records Collection. The material will be made available to researchers
who request to view it in their supervised Reading Room. Accession number
is PRO4996.
*******
27 Jan 2011...
Voyages to Vietnam
Part of Dr John Carroll's Thesis contains information on the Sydney's
voyages to Vietnam. This may be of information to some members. Click
here
to access.
*******
Would the member who paid his annual subscription via EFT under the name
of "BIG SKY CU" please contact me and let me know who you are.
David Dwyer Hon Sec.
*******
Want to know what the latest updates on the site are? Visit our
What's New
page.
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PLEASE READ
As of 1he 10/5/12, we have moved into the end of APRIL 2011 orders and are
progressing well and should start embroidering the May 2011 orders some
time next week.
Three only garments are outstanding from the last order March 2011.These
garments hopefully will be in my possession this Friday, 11 May 2012
There are at the moment 243 garments out standing for May 2011 - Feb
2012.
NOTE 1: AS OF THE 3RD OF MARCH 2012
The embroiderer is currently working on Mid April 2011 orders.
Three Naval Association Sub Branches are currently being embroidered and
between them they have 61 garments. Please be aware the orders are
produced in date order. These three large orders have exacerbated the
embroidering time, of a large number of single orders waiting in date
order behind them. Please rest assured we are trying to plough through
the garments as fast as possible. Please do not hesitate to ring me or
email, if you require further details.
Email:
Tel: (03) 9720 8183 (after 1930 please)
NOTE 2: I was not
aware until visiting the embroiderer today (21.2.12) it takes 1.5
hours to embroider the Anniversary badge, this is because there are
nearly 30,000 stitches. Embroidering the Anniversary badge alone.
equates to over 104 days work for the 2000 garments ordered in 2011,
this is even before we count the time taken for the rest of the
embroidery.
NOTE 3: MARCH 2011 ORDERS
There are 24 outstanding Garment orders from March 2011. I have brought
this to the attention of our embroiderer and he has given an assurance
he will start them by Friday 9 March.


Visit the HMAS Sydney II Memorial
Wall
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Vietnam Veterans Nominal
Roll
It's been
discovered that some members
(particularly those who made
many trips to Vietnam)
may have been short-changed 'time wise' on their service details. It's
advisable that you use a calendar and count the actual days to ensure your
details are correct. DVA say it's a computer glitch which will only be
altered upon each individual requesting that this be rechecked and
corrected. |
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This site has been developed
to provide a place for all those who served onboard all HMAS Sydney's, her
destroyer escorts and Jeparit and Boonaroo during the Vietnam conflict,
FESR personnel and for all those who have an interest in that particular
era of Australia's history. The purpose of this website is also to provide
a way for those who have lost contact with old friends to re-establish
contact via our web Message Board and for distant members to remain
up-to-date with our activities.
We hope that you enjoy
your visit to our Association's web site and come back often. |
A Brief History of the
HMAS Sydney & VLSVA
The concept of forming such
an Association arose out of discussions between the 'founding father' Fred
McLeod-Dryden and John Carroll in September 1982.
(Read 'Mufti' article
dated September 5, 1985)
The
Association as such was formed in early 1984. The founding members
consisted of Fred McLeod-Dryden, Brian McGurgan, Colin Mackenzie, and John
Carroll. Membership has flourished ever since, with the current mailing
list reflecting nearly 500 members within Victoria and 'outstations'
within Australia, and overseas. With the exception of South Australia and
Tasmania, each State has its own active branch or is represented by the
HMAS SYDNEY & VLSVA, which is now recognized and registered in the
Department of Veterans' Affairs Directory of ex-Service Associations.
Affiliations
The
Association also has a 'loose-alliance' with other HMAS Sydney & VLSV
Associations in other states and territories which sees us now as a
recognized National Organization, acknowledged by the Department of
Veterans' Affairs (DVA). This recognition was long overdue.
Membership
Our
Membership is on a tri-service basis for those with active service, and
has been like this from very early days. We represent RAAF Loadmaster
personnel from 36 squadron, the CMF Observer group and the Army small
ships, all with the same fervour and consideration we give to former
members of the RAN. In addition, we include Associate Membership for all
ex-service personnel and civilians who wish to take an active interest
in the operations and activities of our Association.
Other
Involvements
This
Association has an ongoing liaison with the Recruit School at HMAS
Cerberus, and we sponsor a prize for the 'Instructor of the Year' which is
adjudged by internal peer assessment.
This
Association has also contributed financially to the Shrine Restoration and
the HMAS Cerberus Museum. We are actively involved with the Emden
Association in Germany and have kept in touch with them for some
considerable time. As a tangible reflection of this liaison this
Association has a feature wall in the Sydney-Emden room of the Warrant
Officers and Senior Sailors Mess at HMAS Cerberus which depicts the Sydney
- Emden action of the 09th of November 1914.
Amalgamation of the HMAS Sydney II Association with this Association was
inevitable, if only to assure the ongoing viability of our unique
heritage. This painless transition has resulted in a useful partnership
with men that can be best described as 'living history'. We can truthfully
lay claim to be actively representing sailors who have served in all of
the four ships to bear the name Sydney. 'Thorough and Ready' - Aye.
Ongoing
Commitments
As yet,
HMAS Vampire and HMAS Quickmatch have not received any form of recognition
for their trip up the Long Tau Shipping Channel to the port of Saigon in
January 1962. This anomaly has been a long-standing one and will require a
concerted effort to see recognition finally afforded to those that
participated in this deployment.
This ongoing
commitment has finally been resolved with a letter from the Manager of the
Nominal Rolls Section of DVA stating that those who served on these ships
at the time stated will be placed on the Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans.
It is anticipated that the names will be placed on the web site by August
2007. Click here
for a copy
of the letter.
Obtaining
the full text of Mr. Justice Rapke's report into service conditions,
especially those which he experienced when 'serving' aboard HMAS Sydney
during his stay aboard this vessel in the late 1960's and again in the
early 1970's. So far, the various departments with Navy Office have
managed to elude this Association's efforts in this matter. However, we
continue to try.
2007 Update: Rapke
Report: AKA as the Rapke Inquiry is available on the National Archives of
Australia Website. There are in excess of 60 files of which the
June-August file(s) are the most relevant and are titled 'HMAS Sydney
Segment'. These files are heavily censored (expunged). They may be
accessed using the reference number A12433 where indicated, and for
convenience they are all digitised so they may be downloaded straight from
the National Archives site. They are of limited research value.
In August
2001 the Department of Veterans' Affairs held a meeting in NSW with
representatives of the NSW branch of this Association. This was to report
on the findings of a Mortality Study carried out by the Department in
1997, relating to toxins and herbicides. Needless to say, the initial data
supplied by the DVA may be seen as having serious consequences for all
former members of the RAN who served with the RAN Diving Team, HMAS Sydney
and her escorts, the so-called 'Gun-line' ships, and 'Helo-flight'
Vietnam. This information will be updated from time-to-time, as further
reliable and verifiable material becomes available.
2007 Update: The
Water contamination issue forms part of the 2005 study into Mortality and
Cancer Incidence of Australian Vietnam Veterans. There are three volumes
of which the one on 'Cancer Incidence' and the one titled 'The Third
Australian Vietnam Veterans Mortality Study' are the most relevant. These
may be downloaded from the Department of Veterans' Affairs website, or
request copies from either local Federal Members or the DVA. These 3
volumes were only released in January 2007.
The HMAS
Sydney & VLSV Association (VIC) has achieved much for its members.
However, we need your ongoing support to be able to continue to serve you
and yours.
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email updates
Members of the HMAS SYDNEY &
VLSVA (VIC INC) are requested to check their email address against their name in
the membership list and, if necessary, update their email address with the . Many emails are being rejected because the addresses are incorrect.

Interested in Maritime Art?
Originals and Prints.
Visit ex-LSRP Randall Wilson's
website http://navart.com.au
Randall's work is also on display
at the Museum of Cerberus.
NEW

100th Anniversary
Brew Mugs
Full details in the Jewellery section of the
Clothing Store
NEW


HMAS Sydney II and
LCH profile badges.
Full details in the Jewellery section of
the Clothing store

Ship's Plaques
Full details in the Ship's Plaques section of the
Clothing Store
NEW

All 'O' Submarine Crests
Available
Full details in the Shirts and Tops section of the
Clothing Store
Medals & Memories
Original & Replica Medal
Mounting
Ships Crest Button Badges
Memorabilia Framing
Contact:
(Member RSL-VLSVA-FESR-NAA)
03-5983 5726
Victoria
Cross Project
Vern has undertaken a major project to honour
those very brave men....
more........
For Sale
SR-900 Bell & Howell
Micro Fiche Reader, in excellent working condition
(new lamp fitted).
Excess Association office equipment.
Price $45.00.
You pick up.
Contact for further details.
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