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Makan - No 28
1st March, 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, Eon.

Dear Dig,

One of our latest members, Jack Greenwood, has done very well for himself since he arrived home. He has bought a nice new home facing Port Hacking Bay and lives there like a king, with his wife and 2 year old daughter completely subject to him.

His health which is usually good suffers such a reverse at the word "garden" that his wife cultivates the 300’ x 600’ estate they live on. On the other hand the word "fishing" brings a remarkable change for the better and his wife packs him off with rod and reel at every opportunity. They must own a lot of valuables because their house has been burgled on two occasions. Jack now weighs 13 stone.

Ron McLean reports that `Padre' Mills of A Coy is fit and well and is to be married this year.

'Sluggo' Jones of Byron Bay is so happily married now that he writes everybody he can remember, telling them what a great life this is. He was hitting the high spots at the Ballina water front dance hell on New Year's Eve when he bumped into Snowy Stevens and Dave Tate, trying to drink all the beer as usual.

Do you remember George McNeilly? He was the Y.M.C.A. represent­ative at Changi. He recently returned from a trip to England and supplied us with the following information about people you might remember.

DENIS EAST - Successful London recital. Quite fat.
PADRE DUCKWORTH - Resident Chaplain at St. John's, Cambridge. Soon coming to Australia to C. of E. College, Rose Bay.
COLONEL HOUSTON - Senior Surgeon, Military Hospital, Glasgow.
LOU BRODIE - Tenor, still sings at cabarets in London but has an export business.
JOHN WOOD - Living in
London with English wife, on West-end show.
DR. LLOYD CAHILL - Passed exam as eye specialist.
LORD DE RAMSEY - Specialising in rigs and one of
England's most successful farmers.

We often receive enquiries from chaps who wish to know the address of one of our solicitors, of a carpenter, or a reliable estate agent who will sell a block of land from them and so on. We have decided to produce a list of these chaps who might be able to help you. The list will contain the names of our various business men, with full addresses and description of their occupations. The names will be periodically revised.

This list should be of great help to you. For example how many of you family men know that Harry Collins of A Coy is a fruit agent at the City Markets. A fruit agent is not one of those chaps who sell from a barrow. Harry buys fruit from the growers and sells it to the retailers.

His smallest sale is of course by the case. In these days when a man has to be a top salary man to be able to afford an apple per day, fruit at wholesale prices is a boon for the handy wife with a fruit preserving outfit. If you have means of transport pop along to Harry and save yourself a few shekels. His address is City Fruit Markets.

If you wish to have your name included on this little free advertising sheet let us have full particulars of your name and calling.

The association extends its congratulations to Andy Noble on his recent wedding. We do not know of the details but will let you know more of them as we are told.

We also congratulate Bill Innes on his engagement to Jimmy Strang’s sister Doreen.

John Taylor sailed to England last month on the Orcades. He will be away for at least a year. One of his last "jobs" before sailing was to attend Stan Lugton's wife, at the birth of her baby son. We send our congratulations to Stan and his wife on their good fortune.

One of our latest members is Cecil Farrer. You will remember him as Padre Walsh's offsider. He began to lose his hearing over there and is now almost stone deaf. He has lear­ned to lip read and can understand what is said to him without much trouble. The deafness is bad enough, but his eyesight has also gravely deteriorated. When one is brought into contact with cases like this it gives one a severe jolt and tends to hake the healthier class of chap count his blessings instead of his misfortunes.

Little Saifallie saw Tommy Gardner in Lismore a few weeks ago. Tommy is doing well. Jerry Myers is also up that way, he has no complaints.

The Association sends its congratulations to Digger Preen on his recent marriage, no details as yet, and to John Meillon and his wife on the birth of their second baby.

Jackie Conn also wrote us a short eight page letter in which he casually mentioned on each line some particular virtue of the new seven and a half pound, 21" blue eyed, fair haired Conn baby. He is doing exceptionally well on the farm with all the cows giving Nestle's Gold Medal Milk and the wheat crops bursting with super grade wheat simply aching to finish up in Kellogg's Corn Flakes boxes. He lives at Coonabarabran and would like to see any of the boys passing through.

Max Pyle writes from Berrigan that after an exceptionally good year he is very optimistic for the future.

Living in one room gives me a fellow feeling with dozens of our members. Sid Hart of A Coy, wrote us a very amusing account of some of his housing troubles And as they are fairly typical of our times here is en extract from his letter :­

18th Sept., 1947 - Got Married
19th Sept., 1947 - No more grog
30th July, 1948  - Kicked out of flat
31st July, 1949  - Drowned my sorrows
1st Aug., 1948 - Moved in with in-laws
29th Nov., 1948 - Kicked out of in-laws
30th Nov., 1948  - More grog
1st Dec., 1948   - Moved in with wife's uncle."

Later in his letter, however, he writes that he and his wife will be moving into their new home from which nobody will be able to evict them.. Sid has kept good health and is still smiling despite his housing troubles.

Derek Smith, A Coy, is even worse off then Sid. Derek and his wife were sharing a house with a fellow, and whilst they were on holidays he sold it. They have since been sponging on relations with all the usual dis­advantages to both sides that the situation brings. Derek hopes to build a house at Parramatta shortly.

Lee Melrose is off to Coolangatta soon for his annual holidays, and he is hoping to see some of the North Coast push.

Major Johnston was in Grafton for several days last month and he downed a few with Bruce Ford, the local bank wallah, and with Bill Jones. Both these gents are increasing in wealth and prosperity and Bill hopes that his dysentery has gone for good.

Vince Leonard is bubbling over with enthusiasm about his new baby daughter. He now has a pigeon pair and is so pleased with himself that he dismisses with a wave of his hand any reference to the fact that the recent floods ruined his crops and half his fences.

Congratulations are in order for Fred Arnett, North Coast, on his recent marriage. Fred and his wife spent their honeymoon in Melbourne.

Latest Yaralla news from Harry Maurice is as follows:

Carl Odgers - operation, Ward 330
Cyril Pluis - Ward 17
Dave Tate - Ward 18
Ray Donald - serious operation, Ward 330
Ron McBurney   - was discharged from hospital a couple of weeks ago.

He told Harry Maurice just before he left that he would take things slowly for a while. If this is correct he will have to resign from the Police Force and take, a job in the waxworks.

Harry Maurice is still at Yaralla and will be a patient for some time. He has had a growth removed from his groin and is having a fairly tough trot.

We would like to hear of all those lads who enter Yaralla so that we can record it in the "MAKAN."

The increase in membership of the Association during the past six months has been amazing. This month we welcome Dinny Garland, B Coy, Ray Sharples and Ernie Willis.

We know little of what Dinny or Ray have been doing for the past three years, but Ernie Willis is a wheat farmer so you know how well he has done. With wheat at ridiculous prices and seasons exceptionally good he has made more money then the average men since we returned. He has just purchased a new Austin truck, and feels very happy about the future. He has done well in other fields also and has a young Digger, 2 years old, running around the house. Ernie lives quite close, by western standards, to Jack Ellis and Ernie Ross. He writes that old Bogan Gate Ross has a lovely little daughter.

Many of the boys are asking to be transferred to Life Membership to save the pesty business of worrying about 5/- subs, every year, Life Membership costs £5.5.0 in addition to the Entrance Fee but we deduct from the £5.5.0 any subs you might have paid since we returned.

For those who have not yet paid the annual 5/- sub­scription we ask you to do so without delay. A dollar per man is not much to ask but without it we cannot carry on our service to you, If you feel that it is a lot of trouble to send your 5/- to us, you may call in to Timmy Cooper's office at 105 Pitt Street and leave your sub there. Many of the members now pay 10/- or 15/- for two or three years subs in advance.

The Unit History is almost complete, and the copies will be posted to you before Anzac Day. We have ordered 500 copies and we anticipated that we would sell about half this number, We were very much at fault in our estimate because we have now received cash in for just over 400 copies. This leaves less then a hundred copies and if you went a copy send in your money to-day. All copies will be allocated as the money is received and as soon as the five hundred copies are sold there will be no more. If you want a copy or two or a dozen even, you may have them but send your money in right away.

On Friday, March 18th, the Fourth Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held at Sargent's Market Street. Business will be the election of officers, adoption of the Annual Report and Balance Sheet and General Business. Come along and make your suggestions. All positions of the Association are now vacant and you can nominate and vote for whom you like. After the meeting will give you a glass of refreshment and if the night is as good as last year's meeting it will be super.

On February 15th about 60 of our lads marched with about 800 members of the Division to the Cenotaph for the annual Commemoration Ceremony. This was the most successful ceremony to date and should be attended each year by our chaps if possible.

When remitting money please make all cheques and postal notes payable to the 2/30 Bn. A.I.F. Association, at Sydney, and forward them to R.E. Ellis, 21 Military Road, Neutral Bay. Please add exchange to country cheques.

Cheerio,

STAN ARNEIL.

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