Circular No. 103
1st June, 1955

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

COMMITTEE

Dear Dig,

The Annual General Meeting which was held at the Eastern Cafe, Dixon Street, on Friday, 23rd April was the best attended for years and was in the opinion of those there, one of the jolliest General Meetings we have ever had.

Mr. Lee, Generalissimo, was in his best form and agreeing with all our suggestions, made up his own mind as to our requirements and served accordingly. The food is good, the beer there is good and the atmosphere is just right for the 2/30th Bn. It is like a slice of Batu Pahat transplanted into the four walls of his cafe and the troops reacted favourably. There was fried rice and prawns, beer and noodles, laughter and comradeship all mixed up together and the results were noisy but good.

All the customers enjoyed our meeting, the cooks enjoyed it too, a tough one old chow received such a fright when he discovered Doc Wilson breathing heavily down his neck, that he faltered in his chopping of cabbage stalks for a fraction of a second and we almost had oriental fingers with our noodles.

The Meeting began about eight thirty and from the outset it could be seen that the sixty or so people present were there not only out to enjoy themselves, but to take a hand in the running of the Association.

The Annual General Report began a storm of argument and Reg Ellis' report to the meeting added fuel to the fire. The fact that our running costs were ₤80 more than the income received last year was a shock to the meeting and when the discussion finally finished, it had been resolved to charge 15/- admission for the Annual Reunion, to carry on with the monthly Makan and to allow donations to be made towards reducing our last year's deficit.

A delightful touch to the meeting was added by Jackie Goodwin who popped up whenever the discussion appeared to be getting nowhere, and in a loud voice stated - "There's too much verbosity here, etc, etc.," We must always have Jack at the meetings in future, he enjoyed it and we all enjoyed Jack.

The election of officers brought some charges. Arch Thorburn was elected President for the ensuing year from a field of three and the Committee also changed slightly, its members now being Harry Collins, Bill Ennis, Ray Simmons and for the first time, Dick Tompson. In taking over the chair Arch expressed his gratitude in the confidence of the meeting in electing him and paid tribute to the long record of Jimmy Cooper as President.

The Old Man then presented Ken Crispin, Reg Ellis and the Secretary with Special Life Membership badges for outstanding efforts on behalf of the battalion and the Association.

In presenting the badge to Ken Crispin, he (the Old Gent), said that the writing of the history had been a tremendous job and Ken Crispin and Alan Penfold, (Alan was not present, but will receive his badge later), deserved a tangible recognition for it.

The Old Man reminded those present that Reg Ellis had been the only Treasurer the Association had ever had and it was probably due more to his careful husbanding of our funds, than to any other factor, that the Association was in the splendid financial position it is today. In addition to the normal work of Treasurer he also stated that Reg was the recipient of all the correspondence of the Association and as the members knew, answered all letters himself personally. In writing to the Association it was quite evident that members wrote to Reg not as a Treasurer, but as a sincere friend and this result of his work in itself was worthy of special commendation.

In reply Reg thanked those present for the honour they had bestowed upon him and said that it had been a privilege to have served such a fine Association of friends for so long and that he would continue to serve for as long as he was required.

So much for the Annual Meeting.

ANZAC DAY MARCH

The March was slightly different this year from previous years and the re-arrangement appeared to be a success.

The March commenced at the top of Martin Place and finished at Hyde Park, where all gathered for the Commemoration Service. Although the shorter route was primarily instigated to relieve the fatigue of World War I veterans, it also ensured that most of the Marchers were present at the Commemoration Service. This year the battalions marched closer together than in previous years and the results seemed to justify the change.

Of our own unit one could say that the marching was of 2/30th excellence and the numbers present were equal to any roll-up we have had.

ANNUAL REUNION

The next Annual Reunion will be held at the Gallipoli Legion Headquarters, Loftus Street, on Friday 11th November at 8.00 p.m. The charge will be 15/- per head in accordance with the resolution carried at the last Annual General Meeting.

The Committee felt that Arncliffe Drill Hall is no longer suitable for us and that a change will do no harm. Loftus Street is near the Quay and the Club Rooms are quite good. If the 15/- admission charge is too much of a strain for any member, then he should contact Arch Thorburn, Reg Ellis or Stan Arneil and the member may go to the reunion free of charge. In such cases of course, the concession would be known only to the Executive and as such, no embarrassment need be suffered.

Please make all cheques, postal notes and money orders payable to Reg Ellis, Boronia Park.

Cheerio,

STAN ARNEIL.

Dear Dig,

Stan, in his usual modest way, has made no reference to the very nice things that were uttered in his favour at the Annual Meeting - but there were many and you will wholeheartedly agree that those remarks were well merited ones. Believe me, Stan has done and is still doing a mammoth job for the Association - we all hope to have the pleasure of reading his cheery "Makan" for many years to come.

He can wear his presented Life Membership Badge with justifiable pride for a job well done.

REG ELLIS

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