Official Organ of the 2/30th Bn. A.I.F. Assn

COMMITTEE

Dear Stan,

As a matter of interest to the Association I am enclosing a cutting referring to the tragic death of Hilton Blanch "B" Company.

Hilton was cane cutting, on the Clarence when I came here nearly four years ago and I saw quite a lot of him before he was married. He was always highly strung but was a mighty worker.

His gang on the Clarence cane fields was the nippiest of the lot and held records for the heaviest cut in one day and the highest earnings in any one week.

Some of Hilton’s gang told me that he ruled them with a rod of iron and set the pace and example himself. He also kept them on an austerity diets but as a result they all finished up the season with more cash in their pockets than anyone else. Hilton told me he wanted to buy a banana plantation and he knew of no quicker way of earning enough to fulfil his ambition than by cane cutting for several years. I really think he burnt himself out before he’d amassed sufficient to buy anything worthwhile. He was a good lad and a particularly good soldier in Malaya. It saddened me to think he went the way he did.

There are quite at lot of the old unit up this way and we see one another from time to time, though we have not all been together at the one time. The biggest gathering of 2/30th chaps I have seen here was at the wedding of Harry Jarrett, "B" Company. He married a very lovely, and competent lass and left Grafton to settle in Coffs Harbour. I hear he is doing quite well and that his wife is having a particularly good influence upon him.

Bob Newman, Squire of Woolgoolga and President cum Chief of the Soldiers' Club there I see quite often. He is a particularly good and generous host with an elastic sided home capable of putting up almost a platoon overnight at short notice. He and his brothers are banana growers and graziers in a large way.

They have extensive banana growing lands. I asked Bob why they have many bananas up on the sides of steep mountains instead of sticking to the more easily cultivated lower hillocks. He replied that they are keeping the more easily cultivated portions of their lands for when they become old and decrepit and unable to climb the steep hills. While they're young they will clear and plant their lands most difficult to treat.

Others I see from time to time are Neil Sellers who is farming near Brushgrove on Woodford Island. He is making good progress but has lately had a bad time with beetles which played havoc with his pastures.

Arthur Roberts and Fred Winters are both cattlemen. Arthur is at Coaldale where I have been out to see him, and Fred is at the Gorge, Towgon Grange, in the heart of some of the finest cattle country in Australia.

Jack Korsch "C" Coy. is a carpenter in business on his own account. He has a nice home of his own, built by himself, and is doing quite well. Tommy Rockett, another carpenter living in Grafton has done quite well for himself and has a nice new home which he built for himself last year. Once when Col. O'Donnell was visiting Grafton we dragged Tommy away from the building of his home to reminisce over a few pots at the bar of the "Crown."

Tommy Davis "D" Coy was also carpentering here until a year ago. He had also built his own home and married a nurse from the local District Hospital, sister of Reg Napper (a "D" Coy. cobber of Tommy's) and shared with her the trials and tribulations of the 1950 flood which entered their home and played havoc with their new furniture.

When things slacked off here in the building trade last year, Tom let his house, packed up and went off to Tamworth where he had been selected for a job as an ambulance driver. He wasted no time looking for a house but quickly bought a vacant block and threw up a habitable garage to live in while he built a new home. I expect his new home is now complete. Tom, who comes from good class rural stock, isn't in particularly good physical shape, a result of his P.O.W. days, but he has "guts" a plenty. It takes more than the average amount of industry to build two homes in your spare time. Tom has done it. He dryly remarked that there were a few mistakes he made in the building of his first home that he wouldn't repeat in the building of the second place.

I hear about Hilton McLaren who is a fisherman, with his own ocean going boat, at the Sandon River, from time to time. I have promised myself to get out to the inaccessible Sandon one day to bludge a trip out to the fishing grounds with Hilton. From all accounts he has done well. He certainly operates from what is perhaps the best fishing spot on the North Coast, unspoiled by the madding crowd, because of the bloody awful road into it.

Jack Collins, original H.Q. Coy, is a butcher in South Grafton. I see him often and he looks well, though inclined to rotundity like many of us. Harry Rhodes, who works at the Clarence River Meat Co-op Abattoirs, also lives in South Grafton, and I usually see him at The Grafton Show, The Grafton Cup and the Jacaranda Festival.

Jack Korn, is also a South Graftonite, and shows up from time to time. I think he might have had something to do with producing "Baby Trainer” Jerry full of beer for Harry Jarrett to drink at his wedding. He and Harry used to get on it together from time to time before we talked Harry into settling down and succumbing to the restraining influence of a sensible woman.

The only other 2/30th chap here that I know of is Charlie Graham. He was a 3rd Rnf. to "D" Coy, who was wounded at Gemas and was amongst the last repatriated before the fall of Singapore. Charlie is a carpenter and bricklayer and built his own home with assistance from War Service Homes Divn, He has a nice wife and a string of young Grahams to look after and I would say that they are a very happy family. Grafton is really a pleasant place. We have many callers and I am always happy to knock off for a while to entertain anyone from the 2/30th.

Neil Huntley called in a few months ago and we sat before a fire at my home talking about Bn. personalities until very late into the night.

I am as yet unmarried but have a house overlooking the Clarence River and a likeable old housekeeper, an extra good cook, who can rustle up an extra meal or two at a moment's notice for any of my friends passing through – that goes for Any of the old Bn. I am mostly fairly busy but would be happy at any time to make enquiries for any who might want to spend a holiday up this way. I have a number of customers with seaside houses which are occasionally available for letting. Most of them are at quiet, attractive and friendly beach resorts and near good fishing and surfing. For men only I can always arrange a super fishing holiday by putting them up for honorary membership of the Clarence River Anglers' Club which is one of the few residential fishing clubs in Australia. It costs a pound a week for a bed there plus the cost for meals and drinks of course.

Well Stan - so much for Grafton and Galleghan's Greyhounds therein and thereabouts.

About myself. I’m the Manager of the local National three ball joint. I've recently had the Inspectors in (the sort that couldn't be confounded or "fixed") and I'm just waiting on their report. Cheerio, Stan - it won't be long now for the "bob-in-for Stoner” fund.

Yours ever,

RON STONER

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