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Back to 1963 index or Main Index Makan – No. 157 Dear Dig, A letter from Harry Riches contains news of the death of Russ Walker, a tireless worker for the 8th Division. Russ served with the Division and devoted all his spare time to keeping alive the spirit of the Division. He will he sadly missed on the North Coast where he was always in the forefront of every reunion. Here is Harry's letter.... "We held the reunion in Lismore last Saturday tight. It was a great success. There were about 25 2/30 chaps there. Carl Odgers was there for the first time. It was very nice to see him again. He is living up this way now. Capt. Swartz was guest speaker. I think you will have heard of Russ Walker's death. He was missed very much on Saturday night as he had worked very hard for the reunion every year. I had a very pleasant surprise the other night when I got a ring from Laurie Dueberry. I am sure you will all remember him; he was in the A.S.C. and, as P.O.W., spent a lot of time with us. He was in Mullumbimby with a load of furniture from Sydney. I went in and got him and we spent a very pleasant evening as he sees so many of the boys in his travels. We had Jock Logan down to see us at Xmas. He looks well and is doing O.K. Ron Sweeney and family dropped in for afternoon tea just lately. Ron looks well and his family is as big as he is now. Ossie Jackson is as big as ever. There was a terrific gale at Binnaburra - it unroofed houses and flattened some to the ground. Wasn't Ossie lucky? Their place didn't get blown down. One of the women at a party said she would like to see the gale that would move the house with Jackson in it! I often see Allen McPherson at the Tweed. He looks well but is working very hard. He has a very good business - a cream run. We have had a very busy year as I have put in a lot of improved pastures and it has to be strip-grazed with an electric fence. I have bought a tractor and I have made myself a lot of work renovating but it is worth it and a lot easier then with the horses. (Harry's address – “River View," Billinudgel Rd., Mullumbimby, N.S.W. Friends of John Hogan will be pleased to hear that he has been made an Honorary Life Member of the 2/15th Field Regt, A.I.F. Association. John has devoted years of work to his Association. Tom Grant is now living at Murwillumbah. Les Hall of Parramatta North, is as welfare conscious as ever and does a lot of this type of work in his employment. Derek Smith and his wife have certainly taken up Youth Club work with great zest, Derek recently took 13 kids from Bargo to Goulburn for the weekend!! The youngsters at Bargo have now been bitten with table tennis fever and play every Thursday night at the local hall. They sometimes have as many as forty youngsters in the hall on the one night. Jack Brooks wrote recently that Frank Hannan spent a time in Wollongong Hospital with a broken hip. Frank has had a lot of bad luck with his health for some years, suffering from ulcers. Guy Hogben, writes Jack, has also been very ill in Prince Henry Hospital where he was operated on` for a stomach ailment. Jack Greenwood also is visiting Guy regularly and Jack reports that Guy is extremely ill and, being in a coma for most of the time, it is not advisable to visit him yet. Ray Michel and his wife have a service station in Tamworth on the Armidale Road. They are doing very nicely. Any members who come into Tamworth from the North should watch out for the Esso sign as Ray is always pleased to see any lads from the unit. Wal Eather had a quiet Anzac day this year in Tamworth where he and Ray Michel placed a wreath on the Memorial for the 2/30th Bn. Wal was President of the R.S.L. for four years but did not nominate this year. He is still on the Welfare Committee however and also spends a lot of time as Chairman of the Education Committee of Tamworth Legacy. Believe it or not, both Wal and his wife have taken up golf and are enjoying it very much. Rus Perkins is still the same old ball of fire. The effervescent exuberance has hardly been dented with the years. Rus lives at May's Hill, Parramatta. George Gough was unable to attend the Anzac Day March this year as he is an active player of and had to play with the Liverpool City Band. Those of you who have not already learned the news will be saddened to hear the news of the tragic death of the schoolboy son of Ron Eaton. The boy, a stripling of fourteen years, fell from a moving train and was killed. All members will join together in sympathy for Ron and his family in this sad bereavement. You will never forget the songs-of Des Kearney and Ward Booth? Well, there must be something in this heredity business because the Black Prince of the flashing teeth and ready song, is rejoicing in the success of his pretty little daughter who successfully graduated as an A. Mus. A in the recent music examinations. The teenager is still at school and is the first of her school to gain such success. She hopes to study fulltime, the piano and cello after she leaves school. Harry Griffis of Macquarie lane, Taree, reports that all is well with him and his at Taree. Karl Sinclair is an old softie. He met Bill Humphreys some time ago in Armidale and Bill told him that he was so busy that he hadn't paid his subs for a year. Karl whipped a pound off Bill and sent it down to Bessie quick smart. Bill Humphreys is always busy by the way. He's a builder and works like a dog on one house after another. He apparently has such a good reputation as a builder that his contracts never run out. Armidale is a town which is growing quickly with the increased expenditure on the University and on other Colleges which are being established or enlarged in that district. Clyde Blencowe of Tumbarumba does not write often but when he does he makes a point of saying how much he appreciates news of his mates. That cuts both ways. Clyde's mates appreciate news of him. Clyde has a wife and two sons and lives a very happy life. Members of the Unit often strike Clyde as they pass through Tumbarumba, the last one being Clive Hayes, ex “B" Coy. Alf Hyem is recovering from a coronary occlusion of a serious nature. He was in hospital for some time but is pottering around again now. Alan Hamilton spent a fortnight in hospital recently but has now recovered and is back at work. REGIMENTAL TIES: We have purchased a further supply of ties. You can buy one now at a cost of one pound (£1.0.0). Send the cash to Bessie and your tie will be sent to you as quickly as possible. SUBSCRIPTIONS: May we give you a gentle reminder to those whose subscriptions are due to send them to Bessie without delay? Annual subs area 10/- and a Life Membership is £5.5.0. If your subs are due a stamp to that effect will appear on the bottom of this "Makan". HOSPITAL VISITATION: We are having trouble with some aspects of the recently instituted hospital visitation. Our contact man has left the hospital and consequently our visitation committee does not know how many of our Unit are patients, Would wives assist us by ringing the private number of Kevin Ward (who is the liaison man on the Committee for this service) and advising us when their husbands are admitted to hospital. The report of the visitation committee is as follows: Concord Hospital List. Nov -Doc. '62. Ray Simmons, Ted Skuse, Jim O'Connell 'Jan-May. '63. Frank Hannan, Fred Griffiths Ted Watts Nov-Dec. '62. Fred Griffiths, Jack Goodwin, Athol Carey, Sid Jordan, Bob Skinner, Harry Webber, Phil Paget, R. Williams. Jan-May. ‘63 Alf Harding, Harry Webber, Bill Liddell, Jim O’Connell, Don Schumacher, Frank Ball Ray Body, Harry Convery Allan Hamilton, Prince Henry Hospital Guy Hogben, Ward 3 St. George District Hospital Alf Hyem This list covers the first six months. Guy Hogben is the only 30th chap still in hospital as far as the Visitation Committee knows. Alf Harding passed away while in Concord. The Committee was unable to visit Jack Goodwin, Alan Hamilton and Alf Hyem before their discharge. ANZAC DAY BATHURST Our official representatives this year were Nugent Geikie & Bill Clayton who were accompanied by their respective wives. The following excellent report was tendered by Nugent and is reproduced in toto: "Accompanied by my wife and Mr and Mrs Bill Clayton I duly went up to Bathurst to represent the Unit as requested. It was a perfect Autumn day there. Bill and I attended the services, which were very impressive, at Carillon Memorial Square and at the invitation of the R.S.L. we both marched with the local returned men - about 400 in all. The Afternoon Service was held at the Cairn at the old Camp Gates. It was a dignified service, simple, sincere and very moving. The Bathurst R.S.L. had really organised the whole affair exceptionally well. The attendance of Bathurst residents was approximately one hundred and the Sub-Branch had provided a tourist bus for those without private transport. The City of Bathurst Band was in attendance and a Guard from 'E' Company, 2/R.N.S.W.R, under Sgt. Donovan rested in arms reversed. The President of the Bathurst Sub-Branch, Mr. C.G. Osborne, conducted the service very ably. Both Bill and I laid a wreath for the Unit, there was a wreath from the Bathurst R.S.L. and as a matter of interest a private wreath to the memory of Pte. E.F. Campbell was laid. After the wreath laying Mr. Osborne Introduced Councillor R. Locke, President of the Turon Shire. In his speech Cr. Locke touched on our days in camp, our overseas service, and the pride felt by the Turon Shire that we had elected to erect our own Cairn in the Limekilns Road. He pledged their good intent for its future protection. Bill and I were then asked to speak. I went first and tendered apologies for the Old Man, explaining his inability to be present. Special reference was also made by me to the Unit's appreciation of the care and kindness shown by Mr. Herb Pratley who does a very good job as honorary custodian and on behalf of the Unit I gave very sincere thanks to the R.S.L. and citizens of Bathurst who continue to show such interest in the memorial. In his address Bill endorsed my comments adding one or two of his own along the same lines. Mr. Pratley replied. assuring us of his continued personal attention in looking after our Memorial . The Ode of Remembrance was recited by me and The Last Post and Reveille played by Aub Dever of Bathurst. The service concluded about 4.30 p.m. I cannot speak too highly of the fine way in which the R.S.L. handled the Cairn service. They do show a sincere and gratifying interest. A letter to both Mr. C.G. Osborne, the President, and our old friend Reg Henderson, Secretary, would I feel sure be much appreciated. After the service we had a talk with Cr. Locke and the old question of diverting flood water from the Cairn was raised. Mr. Pratley suggested a completely raised concrete platform but Cr. Locke came up with a much more practical solution of a box type culvert a little above the Cairn on the Kelso side. He indicated that his Shire could undertake the necessary work to ensure the safety of the Memorial. He is definitely well disposed and a letter to him also would probably be well received. Here is another interesting factor. On the Winbourndale side of the Camp Gates there is a fenced 'No Man's Land' section. Mr. Pratley has been investigating it and this also came under discussion with Cr. Locke. It seems the Title is obscure and there have been no claimants. It is more likely that we may be offered the plot for a Garden of Remembrance. My wife suggests that members of the Unit might care to donate shrubs or Rose bushes. Mr. Pratley is extremely enthusiastic about the idea and undertakes to maintain a garden there if we desire it. (sgd) N.B. Geikie." DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY It would be fairly safe to say that if our old friend 'China' Hall met you to-morrow he would ask you for a temporary loan to tide him over bad times. It would also be fairly safe to say that you would refuse him a loan. The reason why you would refuse him would be because you have no doubt been caught by him before. We have a few "ex-Members" of our Unit who are what may be called "problems." The Committee has discussed the matter at length and suggest to you that any ex-member of the Unit who appears to come under the category we mention and who requests a short term loan, should be referred directly to Arch Thorburn or Bruce Ford. The Committee feels that most of our members should not be placed in a position where they are virtually throwing their money away. The Association has a welfare policy and has no hesitation in granting money if the necessity is there. One McDermott (don't) know his first names) who makes claim to being in the Unit, but who isn't, and Jim O'Connell should both be referred to the Association if you are approached by them for monetary assistance. Good luck STAN ARNEIL Back to 1963 index or Main Index |