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Circular No. 9
Patron: Brig. F.G. Galleghan, D.S.O., O.B.E., E.D.
2/30th BN. A.I.F. Association Dear Dig, It was not such a long time ago when all the members of the unit were in one compact body and moved from place to place as such, but in the short space since October, 1945 the ex-members have set up house in every State of the Commonwealth, and have taken on with enthusiasm an amazing variety of jobs. Most of the boys are doing fairly well for themselves although few have attained the salaries which were boasted of by practically the whole Division while we were in Malaya. If you remember back to those times you will recall that anyone with a reputed salary of less than £12 per week was considered to be a clod of the lowest type. Those were the days when barman became hotel-keepers, builders’ labourers were all interior decorators and there was the classic case of an analytical chemist who in civilian life was a truck-driver's off-sider. That sort of thing was fairly general with perhaps one exception which happened when Sid Grounds rather bluntly described himself as "the only labourer in the 8th Division." Now that we are back to earth, the lads have tackled some big jobs and as yet have had few failures. Frank Ryan of A. Coy. is the Advertising Manager in England and Europe, for Gordon and Gotch, Garry Rickwood is the brains, but not the money, behind a big Company in Singapore, Ted Watt and Malcolm MacDougall are also in business over there and are doing quite well. I am not sure whether MacDougall and Watt rob the Tamils while Rickwood does the Chinese or vice versa but at least I know that they both rob the Malays so we are all happy. Charlie Taylor of Don Company dropped-in to see me last week. He is as fit as a fiddle and still laughs with that great booming sound. He and a partner took five chaps up to Darwin, remained there for six weeks and then brought seven motor trucks back with them, through the back blocks of Queensland to the South. They cleaned up on the deal, although Charlie said that things are becoming a lot tighter in Darwin now, and the prices of trucks has risen to almost the pegged price! He said that they are rebuilding a lot of the town and it should be quite a place one of these days. If you remember, it was not exactly a roaring metropolis when we came through it so I take it that "one of these days" is a long way off yet. He is going back again, this time to buy galvanised iron and piping. I suggested that he should do his best for the nation and bring back about three millions of the empty beer bottles up there and so relieve a grave shortage, but he wasn't very keen. Clive Blencoe is Managing his father's business at Tumbarumba. Carl Rope is doing well at Dubbo-that's all I was told-can't say what he's doing well at. Bertie Hodge of Gilgandra was sighted last month pulling down an R.A.A.F. hut at Narromine - the hut is probably erected at Gilgandra now and will be used as the local Soldiers R.S.L. Club. Bill Delaney of Narromine tells me that they are building an R.S.L. Club in his town at a cost of £5,500. That's roughly the cost of two small brick cottages "on the black" but as he inferred that the labour will be mostly voluntary the cost should be enough for a first class club. Terry O'Rourke is working for the Forestry Dept. at Moss Vale. He did not mention in his letter whether he was planting trees or cutting them down but he likes the life anyway. Frank Rampling works at White Bay for the Dept. of Railways. He saw Ron Stokes in a fish shop out that way recently, whether buying fish or selling them, I do not know, but I refuse to believe that, as soon as he saw Frank, he struck an attitude and recited the "Green Lye of the Little Yellow God" from gas to whoa! Bill Humphreys of Armidale was married last Christmas. We offer our congratulations though rather late, still well meant, and he has written to tell me that he is having a little housing trouble. Now as one who is living in one room complete with a tap but no sink, and, the five types of wallpaper plastered with usual notices "Dirty water in bucket" "Empty clean water down Bath" "No Brass Bands or Wild Parties" "Wear slippers after 10 p.m." (to save waking the crimson landlady who can afford to sleep fifteen hours a day on the strength of my rent). I say on the strength of this small experience that I consider Bill Humphreys to be a very lucky man to be living in his own garage, and after reading many letters of the same type, I would welcome news, if any, of any newly married 2/30 couples who have been lucky enough to find a home of their own. The Association extends a welcome to Freddie Butt and Stewart Blow who joined us this month. To make this modest little show of ours a real fellowship unit we would like to see all ex-members of the unit to be with us so do your best to rope in any of the boys whom you bump into. It was an the 15th day of this month six years ago that we stood on the decks of the old Johan as she nosed her way through a rainstorm into Keppell Harbour. It was exactly four years later that peace was declared. We offer a hand of sympathy to Ron Johnson and Keith Broughton on their recant sad bereavements. George Michell and Ron Sweeney have married recently and best wishes are with them in their new responsibilities. They have probably now proved the fallacy of that old tale about "two people living as cheaply as one". That lie has been told for thousands of years and should be changed to "two people live together much more happily than one." John B. Gaden is engaged! Not much more I can say because I believe it is true. It happened in the Hotel Australia; John asked the lass, in that stuttery old way of his, if she would have a drink and he was so dashed long asking her that she thought it was a proposal and snapped him up. My friend Sammy Hall said that he hoped John's fiancée would never find out about that last boarding house at which John stopped in Brisbane. You might remember the incident. The landlady was an acid Temperance devotee and hated the amber like the devil hates holy water. John couldn't prevent his throat getting so dry (hot weather and all) and he drifted into the habit of buying a suitcase at Woolworth's and taking home half a dozen bottles. John did not notice the gradual increase in the suitcases until one night, when he arrived home and found that, when he took the usual case inside the room, he couldn't close the door. He drank the last six bottles, standing up, and then left the area. Sammy told us that the landlady made a fortune out of the cases and the empties but of course you know what Sammy is when he starts to talk. Cheerio, STAN ARNEIL The badges of the Association have just arrived. Would you please notify the Secretary if yours is not included with this circular. Back to 1947 index or Main Index |