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

COMMITTEE

Dear Dig,

Wally Bell, Mark 2, has changed his address to Canley Vale. No news of Wally.

Russell Kane and his wife have acquired a new baby since we last heard of them. They have called their baby Kathryn and she is the main topic of conversation in their home.

Bob Newman, from the banana country, had a bad attack of eye strain a few months ago looking for rain whilst his banana plants gradually died of thirst. However, an inch of rain in July saved both his eyes and the bananas.

George Croft of Balmain, earns his living by selling groceries and is doing well. George suffers little effect from his war wounds.

Blair Taylor has now shifted into a new home, his own, at West Ryde. Everything in the home is sparkling and new, but the most beautiful possession there is a new baby girl, born in June. She is their second baby, both daughters.

Joe Clark had a spell at Yaralla recently and he reports that Keith Chapman of "A" Coy, is an orderly there. "Chappie" has had a lot of trouble since he arrived home, but he says that this is the best job he has had and we hope that it will put him on his feet again.

Phil Schofield and his wife Violet passed through Sydney on a motoring holiday. Phil is Secretary of Legacy in Melbourne and he devotes all his spare time to this great cause.

Friends of Garry Evans are sorry to hear of the trouble that has descended upon his household. Mrs. Garry as been quite ill and recently returned after a time in hospital. We hope that she is well on the way to recovery now.

We recently heard of a case , which is typical of many in our Division, and we hope that someone of our unit may be able to help. A young fellow, Harry Simpson by name, enlisted at 16 years of age under the name of M.A. Dean in the 4th Anti Tank as a Driver.  We met a lot of these Anti-Tank boys in the Great World and perhaps young Dean was there. He eventually died in Thailand at a camp known as Mekong Patong or something similar to that. His parents have never been fortunate enough to meet anyone who was with him up North and would be more than grateful to get in touch with anyone who knew him. Grateful is rather a weak word there as you can imagine your own feelings if a son of yours vanished in such circumstances. If you can help in this matter will you ring John Fairley at XW6132.

To continue our concessional buying experiment, we have some further opportunities for you this month. and we hope that you will avail yourself of them. We briefly repeat our first two offers as follows:

No. 1 Concession - 10% off retail prices of furniture - purchase on cash or terms. Ring Johnny Kreckler at MA5075.

No. 2 Concession - Wholesale prices for all electric and household appliances - cash purchases only - available for both city and country members. Ring Sammy Hall at XY4046 any night or during the weekend.

New concessions this month are devoted to optical products and services, a necessary expenditure for many and one which can make for a great deal of hardship to the family man.

Concession No. 3 - Reduced charges for testing of eyes by an eminent eye specialist. The eye specialist, of course, is our own and is well known to you all as a former comrade. We aproached him on this matter and he is only too willing to co-operate. The procedure is to ring Sammy Hall at XY4046, who will give you all particulars. You will be under no obligation whatsoever and need not feel that you are taking advantage of old association to get something "on the cheap". Not only do you get this service at a reduced charge, but you will be happy to receive the personal interest of an old friend, a friend to you whether you knew him personally or not during the war. The concession applies to all your dependants in addition to yourself.

Concession No. 4 - Purchase of your spectacles at wholesale price. This concession naturally follows the previous one in which your eyes were tested and the glasses prescribed. We had some difficulty obtaining this concession and we will not divulge the name of the firm in the Makan because it would be very embarrassing for them. Suffice it is to say that it is a very old established firm with the highest credentials and makes only for the retail trade. It is a concession which will cut the cost of our spectacles to the bone. For particulars ring Sammy Hall at XY4046 any night or during the weekend.

Concession No. 5 - 10% off retail prices of all optical products, sun glasses, films, binoculars, etc. This concession has been obtained from Angus & Coote Ltd. of George Street, Sydney, after we approached Mr. Ellison, Manager of the Optical Dept. there. Mr. Ellison was with us at Changi. During the war he was C.O. of the Mine Watching Corps (British) stationed at Singapore. He is most cooperative and also emphasises that there is no obligation whatsoever to request this discount. Method of purchase - produce your badge or make yourself known to him by the statement that you can be verified reference to Sammy Hall. Mr. Ellison has Sammy's telephone number and address.

Those are the concessions for this month and there will be more to follow. If you can help your fellow comrades by making such concessions available please do so. This can be a practical method of helping each other to a slightly higher standard of living, for money saved when making purchases can be used to purchase other necessities you require for your own station in life.

The following members have changed their addresses and have not yet notified us of the change. If you know of their new addresses will you please telephone Reg Ellis at WX3198. The members are - S.S. Kirton, R.W. Grubb, K.G. Jones, D.F. Garner and J.B. Gaden.

We cannot give you the date of the next Reunion at the moment but it will be as close to the 21st November as we can make it and we hope to be able to arrange it at the usual place. Keep November in mind for this most important function.

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

Cheerio,

STAN ARNEIL

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