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Makan – No. 27
1st February 1949

Official Organ of 2/30th Bn. A.I.F. Assn.
21 Military Road
,
NEUTRAL BAY.

Patron: Brig. F.G. Galleghan D.S.O., O.B.E., E.D.
President: J.H. Cooper Esq.
Hon. Treasurer: R.E. Ellis Esq.
Hon. Secretary: S.F. Arneil Esq

Dear Dig,

My wife and I enjoyed a little holiday at Woy Woy at Xmas time and were lucky enough to rent a house next door to Alec Campbell. You should remember Alec, the big fellow with the sepulchral voice, from the "I" Section. He is doing well in the kid walloping business and by this time will have been promoted to a better job at the Public School at Casino.

Alec has not altered in the least, he drove us into every little cove in Brisbane Waters, in his 16' launch, threw cakes and tea at us every time we popped our heads from our house and generally fell over himself in his efforts to please. Alec has made two very fine achievements since he arrived home. He has married a lovely smiling girl and they have a roly poly baby. The baby's ears stick straight out from its head.

Tommy Davis of Grafton is a queer fellow. He is building his house in the local flood area and consequently it will be on seven foot stilts. Just imagine the strife he will be in trying to crawl up the steps after a diggers' re-union. He has the right idea though, his fiancée will finish her training as a nurse just before Xmas and they will then be married. Very handy thing to have a little nursing experience especially when the little children arrive.

Bill Jones of B. Coy is a Company Commander in the local militia. He is hoping that his latest treatment for the amoebic dysentery will completely cure him.

The Association sends its heartiest congratulations to Bruce Ford and his wife on the birth of a baby.

Big Jack Ellis is one of our newest members. Jack is a great streak of a fellow and was a Cpl. in the Transport. He is the sole inhabitant of Ootha, one of those big western towns with a signpost. You know the type, a signpost with "Welcome to OOTHA, This is it" stuck in the middle of a cornfield. That doesn't worry Jack, he owns the cornfield. He is now married and has a new baby.

George Croft has a taxi at Condobolin.

We received a very nice card from the Old Gentleman in Berlin. He hopes to be back in Australia this year after a very strenuous time in Europe. B.J. asks me to thank every person who sent cards to himself and Mrs. Galleghan. These cards were very much appreciated but he was unable to reply from where he is and this is understandable. His Christmas Greeting to you all was:

“To all the members of the 2/30th Bn. A.I.F, wherever you are I send my Xmas Greetings and I hope you are all well and happy. Good luck and God bless you all from the Old Man."

The latest advice from Hallstead's, the printers of the history, as to the date we can expect our copies is the end of March. If you have not already ordered your copy or the copy you intend to send to your dead cobber's mother, then do so now because the total of the orders is rising and once the required number of copies are sold there will be no more.

Norm Lee was sighted in Grafton, looking very well. I was purchasing a few essentials in my favourite store, Woolworths, last month when I heard a canny voice asking the shop walker if there ware any special bargains on sale that day. Thinking that such a request was rather strange when they were practically giving the stuff away at the prices they were asking, I looked a little closer at the enquirer. It was "eight to a table" (Jimmy Peebles) loaded down with two dozen butchers aprons and six mattocks which he had bought because they were so phenomenally cheap that he couldn't resist them "I've cornered the market" he whispered to me as he pushed off towards the second hand razor blade counter.

We congratulate Ashley Pascoe on his recent marriage. He and his wife spent their honeymoon at Ballina and he writes in glowing terms of the service at the hotel at which they stayed. We suspect that he would have written in the same strain even if they had had to camp under a bridge but still if you want to make a note of a really good hotel here are the particulars. Cavills Private Hotel, Ballina, tariff  £3.10.0 per week, excellent table and surroundings ideal. There is good surfing, fishing and boating and probably a good drop of ale at the local. It sounds very good anyway.

In a letter from Ted Watt he described his soldiers' block of land at Nangus as 757 acres with a frontage to the Murrumbidgee River. There is good fishing, the odd wild duck and about eight million rabbits. His present homestead is roughly drawn on a scrap of paper and he is making out with a small tent.

George Brown drew a block near Ted and he is also quite close to Abbie McAlister's brother who is another soldier settler.

Jimmy Cooper has received a long letter from Stuart Poach who is a member of the B.C.O.F, at Kure. Stuart has managed to see most of Japan, even the great Fuji. During his touring in Japan, he met OKAMOTA or better known to you as Hank the Yank. Hank who still takes things as they come owns a little farm near Hiroshima. He is still just as amazing in his methods of doing things as he was in 1942.

His farm is a seven acre plot and includes a few rice fields. Besides keeping the farm going, he has a job in a Stores Department with B.C.O.F. about 25 miles away. He has a wife and eleven children so it is easy to understand why the Japanese are increasing very rapidly. Stuart saw A.K. Thompson from the Mortar Platoon a few months ago and he often bumps into Kevin Donohoe. He had a chat to Garry Rickwood who was on a business trip there and from what we can gather Garry is one of those very very rare souls who spent some time in Japan at his own expense. Every other Australian there appears to be living up there at the expense of the taxpayers. Stuart keeps very good health and is evidently just as carefree now as he always was.

This is your second reminder this year to send along your 5/- subs. If you live in Sydney, you may drop your dollar into Jimmy Cooper's office at 105 Pitt Street, or else post it to us. We ask you not to neglect this matter because we must have your subs. If we are to carry on our service to you.

On January 15th, about eighteen of the lads assembled at the Cenotaph and George Clarke placed a wreath there in memory of your Fallen Comrades. If you ever pass the Cenotaph during January, you will see purple and gold ribbon splashed on many wreaths.

The Eight Division Council will hold its annual assembly at the Cenotaph on Feb. 15th at 7.30 p.m. All men of the Div. are asked to attend. The assembly point will be in Angel Place at 7.30 and they will then march to the Cenotaph.

Reg Ellis is out of hospital for a spell but Harry Maurice has been there for some time and has forwarded the following information:

Ward 17

Ernie Gayford - beri beri after effects.
Len Payne         - still has bad stomach trouble.
Ron McBurney Tonsils to be removed.
Harry Maurice - operation to leg.

Ward 8

Carl Odgers - just a broken down old P.O.W. like the rest of us, and Padre Dolan is out there with the local diseases and a few overseas varieties also.

Here are some more Addresses: ­

A.I. Farr - called "Bib" because he was the same size as his cobber who was called "Bub."
J.J. Fell - Jack is a small but tough young fellow who delights in hard work. A farmer by choice who was a Cpl. in B Coy.
B.V. Ford - Bruce of medium build, speaks very slowly in a sort of a drawl. He was wounded in action, is a bank clerk in private life and was a Cpl. in Don Coy.
H. Fraser - Hughie is a tall quiet chap. He was Pte. in A Coy.
R.C.W. Foster - Ron is a big, dark and handsome gentleman who managed quite a successful night club in Sydney since our return. He was a private in H.Q. Coy.
H.J. French - "Frenchy" although quietened down now was a very high spirited young private of A Coy.
R.L. Friend - Reg swears profusely with an Oxford accent, was the Bn. Orderly Room Sgt. and now a clerk with the Wool Commission.

We have lots of members who have taken advantage of the splendid opportunities given them by the Repatriation Dept. to further their education. As far as we know all of our chaps who tackled this work have done well.

Most of them would like to receive a much more liberal allowance on which to live but all of them consider that a prise worth struggling for is much more appreciated then one which is pushed out for the asking. Ron Chipps passed well in his Third year Engineering exams. He plucked a couple of Credits out of the basket and his results are all the more creditable when one considers that he has married since he returned home and loses a lot of sleep with his two babies in the house. Jimmy Strang is our brightest boy however. He is studying Agricultural Science and passed in ten subjects. He numbered several Distinctions and several Credits among his passes.

Curley Heckendorf gets around these days. He came up from Lockhart a month ago and dropped out to see Reg Ellis at Yaralla Hospital before the usual visiting hours and was talking to Reg when the Orderly came around with the Sunday dinners. After a few words between Reg and his old mate, the Orderly, an extra dinner was produced and Curley sat down and enjoyed dinner with Reg. A bottle of beer was then produced and after finishing a drink and wiping the froth from the lips, Curley rode back to the city and caught a plane to New Zealand. He bought some Romney Marsh stud sheep over there. These farmers must be on a decent Award.

Joe Roxburgh may be seen driving a bus around North Shore these days. He looks as fit a as a  fiddle.

Jack Brooks of A Coy has itchy feet and is now working on the railway at Goulburn. His new job enables him to shift from one job to another and temporarily he prefers that to living in one place. He keeps very good health.

MISSING BELIEVED SOMEWHERE.
Reg Ellis is still requiring the addresses of the following members : A.R. (Allen) Cameron, K.G. (Kevin) Donohoe, J.C. (Dinny) Lane. F.T. (Bill) Rooke, F.W.D. Bushby, R. (Bob) Dickson, F.T. Hayes, A.G. Olley, F.G.E. Randle.

Cheerio,
STAN ARNEIL.

Dear Dig,

For all those of the Unit who went to Thailand on "F" Force there is a book on the market now which might interest you. It is called "As You Were - 1948" and is on sale at all the big city bookstalls or can be obtained by sending 9/- to the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. There is an article in it written by Stan Arneil which tells of the journey of "F" force from Singapore to Sonkurai. As you were all on the march and it was written about you perhaps you would like to read it. If you do you will be able to see yourself there and to recall many vivid incidents which even in this short time way have faded from your memory.

Cheerio,

REG ELLIS.

Please Remember.

1. 15th March, 8.0 p.m. - Sargents Market Street, Annual Meeting.

2. 29th April - Anzac Day March.

3. Send in your 5/- subs., and remember to make all cheques and postal notes payable to the 2/3n Bn. A.I.F. Association at Sydney and forward them to R.E. Ellis, 21 Military Rd., Neutral Bay.

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