Radschool Association Magazine

Radschool Association Magazine - Vol 33

Page 5

You shouldn’t play with guns.

Noel Brown, (below), who was an assistant Loady on the Caribous with RTFV in Vung Tau from Oct 1964 to June 1965, proudly displays the “Order of the OOB” outside the Airman’s Villa, late in 1965.

Noel Brown The Order of the OOB (a Boo in reverse) was born when a strange hole appeared in the side of a Caribou at Danang. It seems George Harrison, a Cpl Loady, was holding a pump action shotgun that he'd managed to 'liberate' from a Yank when Geoff Lumsden, who, at the time was a F/Off driver of Caribous, blundered in and tried to pull the gun out of George’s hands.

Well, of course, the gun went Boom and made two holes in the back end of the Caribou, a small one going in, and a rather large one going out again.

We hear there was a bit of explaining to do when the aircraft got back to Vung Tau and where metal bashers Lenny Morris and Peter Jones had the job of plugging the holes.

The “Order of the OOB” was thereafter hung on the end of the bar in the Airman’s Villa.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!
Except that one where you're naked in church.

SE Queensland Transport Pass.

David Taschke

Senior Product Officer

TransLink Transit Authority

TransLink, which is an independent statutory authority, under the direction of the Queensland Minister for Transport, is developing a free travel pass for TPI holders in South East QLD. Queensland Rail suburban train

TransLink coordinates and delivers bus, train and ferry public transport services, as well as customer information, ticketing and infrastructure across South East Queensland and is one of the largest integrated public transport networks in the world. It operates across 23 zones and 7 regions which stretch from Gympie in the north to Coolangatta in the south and west to Helidon.

The pass and a lot of the details are still being developed, but below are a few points that have been released
The Pass will allow free travel to TPI’s across all modes – rail, bus and ferry
The pass will supersede the current warrant system for Citytrain travel, but will not replace the intrastate travel warrant system
The pass will initially be a flash pass that holders will show staff on entry to service and this will be replaced with a free fare smart card over time.
Passes will have a photo of the card holder on the pass.
Applications will be available from the TransLink website to post in with a suitable passport photo..
It is expected that the pass will be available at the end of 2010.

There is still a lot of detail to be worked out and TransLink Marketing is currently designing the pass and application form and further details will be made available towards the end of November.

We don't know if other states are thinking of doing similar, if anyone knows, please let us know.

The statement below is true.
The statement above is false.

A soldier’s Poem.

“Pygmy” McAndrew sent us this – we think it is definitely worth printing here. (Read down each column)

Her hair was up in a pony-tail,

Her favourite dress tied with a bow.

Today was Daddy's Day at school,

And she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,

That she probably should stay home.

Why the kids might not understand,

If she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;

She knew just what to say.

What to tell her classmates

Of why Dad wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,

For her to face this day alone.

And that was why once again,

She tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school

Eager to tell them all.

About a dad she never sees

A dad who never calls.

There were daddies along the wall in back,

For everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,

Anxious in their seats

One by one the teacher called

A student from the class.

To introduce their daddy,

As seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,

Every child turned to stare.

Each of them was searching,

A man who wasn't there.

'Where's her daddy at?'

She heard a boy call out.

'She probably doesn't have one,'

Another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,

She heard a daddy say,

Looks like another deadbeat dad,

Too busy to waste his day.'

The words did not offend her,

As she smiled up at her Mom.

And looked back at her teacher,

Who told her to go on.

And with hands behind her back,

Slowly she began to speak.

And out from the mouth of a child,

Came words incredibly unique.

My Daddy couldn't be here,

Because he lives so far away.

But I know he wishes he could be,
Since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
And how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories
He taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
And taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,
And ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I'm not standing here alone.

Cause my daddy's always with me,c
Even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
He'll forever be in my heart'

With that, her little hand reached up,
And lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
Beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,
Her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
Who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love
Of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
Doing what was right.

And when she dropped her hand back down,
Staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
But its message clear and loud.

I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
But heaven's just too far.

You see he is an Aussie soldier
And died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
And taught Australians to fear.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away.'
And then she closed her eyes,
And saw him there that day.

And to her mothers amazement,
She witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
All starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them,
Who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
They saw him at her side.

I know you're with me Daddy,'
To the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
Of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,
For each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
Was a fragrant long-stemmed rose.

And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
By the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
That heaven is never too far.

VETERANS WARNED OF POTENTIAL SCAMS.

Ernie Gimm

Veterans have been targeted by scam-artists claiming to represent the Australian Government, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Mr Ian Campbell said recently.

Mr Campbell (right) said the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) had been made aware of several approaches to members of the veteran community asking for personal information in exchange for new government services such as free electricity or pension benefits. In some cases these people have posed as officers from DVA. Ian Campbell

“These ‘offers’ are false and my Department is investigating these incidents,” he said. “Veterans in Queensland and Victoria have been most recently targeted however veterans across the country should be aware of the potential scams.

“I urge the veteran community to exercise caution when asked to release personal details.

Be cautious about when and to whom you release your personal information.

If you receive a phone call or letter asking for personal information such as your DVA client number or banking details, do not answer straight away. Contact your nearest DVA office on 133 254 (for metropolitan callers) or 1800 555 254 (for non-metropolitan callers) to confirm the source is legitimate.

It is disappointing that our veterans are being targeted by these cowardly scams and I encourage members of the veteran community to contact DVA if they have any concerns,” Mr Campbell said.

The Government’s Scamwatch website – www.scamwatch.gov.au – contains useful information on how to protect your privacy.

Reality is only an illusion
that occurs due to a lack of alcohol.

Vietnam Vets Association, Sunshine Coast. (VVAASC)

On the 3^rd November, the VVAASC conducted a Dedication and Wreath laying ceremony at the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra Airport to commemorate the memory of all RAAF personnel who gave their lives in the many conflicts in which the RAAF has been involved.

Bob Carver

The date was significant because it marked the Day that Canberra Bomber A84-231 of 2 SQN went missing, which resulted in the fatalities of the two Crew, Flying Officer Mike Herbert (Pilot) and Pilot Officer Bob Carver (Navigator).

The Service was led by Padre Fry after which the Museum provided a morning tea and a demonstration running of a Caribou radial engine which was bolted to the back of a truck.

The Museum obtained Caribou A4-173 some time ago and is in the process of restoring it – a mammoth job (If you can help, they would love to hear from you).

Caribou A4-173 at Caloundra

The Ceremony at the Caloundra museum.

The Plaque at Caloundra Museum

The Plaque that was dedicated at the Museum.

Caribou engine, Caloundra museum

The Caribou engine, on the back of the truck. The engine starts and runs quite happily on standard ULP which is obtained from the local servo, no 100-130 fuel here.

They have a problem with fuel feed, with the engine dragging fuel from the tank in such quantities that it causes eddies in the tank resulting in air bubbles in the fuel line. That will be fixed when the new tank is installed.

The “gas” tank fixed to the right of the engine holds engine oil. The old girl burns so much oil they reckon it’s a diesel.

Depot Doggies.

John Broughton and Mal Sayers

Two old 2AD radio "Depot Doggies" from many moons ago, met again at the Ceremony and hadn't seen each other for about 40 years.

John lives in Newcastle and was at 2AD radio back in 1968/9.

Mal now lives on the Sunshine Coast and is the Vice President of the Vietnam Veterans’ Association of Australia, Sunshine Coast Sub-Branch.

Mal, who conducted the ceremony, was with RTFV/35Sqn in Vietnam from April 1966 to December 1966, after which he was posted to 2AD at Richmond

John Broughton (left) and Mal Sayers

Mal says after leaving the RAAF, he worked as the manager of a block of units in Crown St Surry Hills (Sydney) for 2½ years then changed over to a Warden for the NSW Girl Guides at their State Training Centre, Glengarry, John McDougall at North Turramurra for 5 yrs. He then moved to Curra Qld and built a house on 5 acres with an indoor pool and double garage workshop and lived there for ten years untill he was diagnosed with Cancer.

He was operated on and then informed that he would be lucky to live for 5 years so he got rid of the Acres and moved to Currimundi, on the Sunshine Coast. He joined the VVAASC in 2005 and became an active volunteer then got onto the Committee advancing to Jnr Vice President, which he still holds. With the approval of the committee, he arranged the Dedication day with the Queensland Air Museum.

John McDougall at the

RTFV/35Sqn dedication ceremony.

7th April, 2009

He started a petition to save Caloundra Airport (12,000 signatures) and served on the Save the Museum Task Force. Along the way the QAM got a bronze Plaque for the RTFV/35Sqn mounted on the memorial wall outside of the QAM.

John McDougall and John "Sambo" Sambrooks attended.

John "Sambo" Sambrooks and Trev Benneworth

John “Sambo” Sambrooks, secretary of the RTFV/35Sqn Association and that perennial gate crasher, Trev Benneworth, at the recent Caloundra Museum Ceremony. It is widely recognised that the reason the Squadron was able to perform so successfully in Vietnam was due solely to the dedication and hard work of these two magnificent and dedicated men.

Gart Scott's Replica Mustang

A Mustang replica (above) which was hand built by local resident, Gary Scott, takes pride of place at the museum.

We first met Gary (right) in Madang PNG back in 1974 where he worked for Wewak Timbers as their lead mechanic and where we shared many an hour on the water at Siar Island or in the Madang Club putting to death the odd green bottle or six.

It is said that you could give Gary a trailer load of dirt, he would smelt the iron ore from it, then build you an automatic gearbox from the metal.

MacGyver’s got nothing on this bloke.

Gary built the aircraft from the ground up, as a dedication to his father, Alan Scott, who was a wartime Liberator Flight Engineer, and who was lost at sea in 1953.

Are you looking for a Caribou for the back yard??

"Dit" Eaton tells us that the Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare recently announced the release of the tender to dispose of the RAAF's retired Caribou aircraft. Dit says, "Mr Clare said that two of the fleet will be reserved for sale to historical organisations that will preserve the aircraft as flying examples of military heritage. A number of Caribou components will also be made available only to historical organisations and Returned Service Organisations, such as RSL’s.

“The Caribou has had a long and distinguished history with the Australian Defence Force,” Mr Clare said. “It was first brought into service in Vietnam and has served with distinction for nearly half a century. “The aircraft was famous for its ability to take off and land on short and unprepared runways.

“This unique ability allowed the Caribou to play a major role in relief operations both within Australia and internationally. “Due to the historic significance of the aircraft, we have reserved a number of Caribou components for preservation at RSL’s and historical organisations.”

During service, the Caribou aircraft were based at RAAF Richmond NSW, RAAF Amberley QLD and RAAF Townsville QLD. Two of the aircraft have already been presented to the RAAF Museum at Point Cook and the Australian War Memorial.

Interested parties should go to www.tenders.gov.au or contact the Defence Disposals Agency on (02) 9393 2914 for more information. The closing date for tenders is 1 March 2011.

So, if you want one, you now know how to go about getting one.....

1 RMT.

1 RMT Laverton

Peter Nelms says “In the photo of 1 RMT (above) which was on page 5 of Vol32, the guy in the front row second from the left is John Wood. I last worked with Woody about 1982 in SupCom and he was getting out to move to Bribie Is.

The Bones.

We had the photo below in our last issue and didn’t have any names except for Toby Payne. Adrian Heinrich saw the photo, and because he was in it, he can supply quite a few names.

Adrian says, “We beat the Army Survey Corps at Bendigo and later learned they had been training using a 3 ton truck in low gear as their other team! We were young and tuff then weren't we!

So, now we have:

The Bones tug-of-war team, 1966

Back Row L-R: Unknown, Laurie Edwards (1RMT), Adrian Heinrich (1RMT), Kym Pederson (1RMT), Doug Meyer, Unknown, Toby Payne

Front Row L-R: Neil Parsonage (1RMT), John Bryant, Unknown, Monte Kakoschke (1RMT)

I like cats too.
Let's exchange recipes.

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