I will outline some
suggestions for the reunion marking the forty years since we left
Vietnam – we left on the 28th February 1972. I was thinking of
holding the reunion in April to coincide with Anzac Day but a lot of
our members have commitments at that time and maybe are unavailable.
So we will hold the reunion/celebration in February 2012.
The �proposed� time-table
would be:
Sunday 26th Feb.
A
meet and greet at the
Enoggera Army Base.
Monday
27th Feb.
Possibly
golf at
Victoria Park. If you�re a non-golfer, what would you like
organized, perhaps a tour of the XXXX brewery?? A shopping day
could be arranged for the ladies.
Tuesday 28th Feb
Dinner at
Kedron Wavell Services Club.
Wednesday 1st March
Bus trips to
Oakey and Amberley Museums, possibly lunch at Amberley.
Thursday 2nd March
Thursday
river cat tours, history of Brisbane etc. (I will have a
talk with the Lord Mayor, Campbell Newman, re bus, ferry passes
etc.)
Friday
3rd March
Your
suggestions welcome
These are only suggestions. When we form the
sub-committee we can start to confirm actual dates.
We�ve got a form on the web which you can fill in
and let us know what you think, please click
HERE, fill in the form
and send it back to us.
Reunion speeches � this is difficult as to how
many and what time do you allow, possibly our oldest surviving C.O.
(not in age) and possibly the last C.O. when the Squadron left
Vietnam and our association President, John McDougall, if he ever
returns from Sydney.
I haven�t booked any entertainment as yet but we
will do in the next few months.
I hope everyone who served will attend.
Unfortunately, with some of our members through illness and other
reasons, are unable to travel, it may be our last big
reunion/celebration. Please let everyone know. I will put notices in
R.S.L., RAAF News, local papers etc.
I will contact RAAF Public Relations, QANTAS,
State and Federal Governments, Ms Alison Stanley, Deputy
Commissioner, Department of Veterans� Affairs in Brisbane.
If anyone has any contacts at QANTAS, would they
please contact me to discuss the best way to approach QANTAS.
For those not familiar with Brisbane, when it’s
not underwater it is a great place, have a look
HERE.
The Oaks Apartments in Brisbane provide
excellent affordable accommodation. Each unit has a private balcony
so you smokers will be able to smoke on the balcony. We will
approach them and see if we can obtain a �special� rate for reunion
attendees.
Official RAAF participation.
John Griffiths (right) is checking liaison
with the RAAF to see if they wish to participate and/or also have a
dedication service.
Memorial Service –
Caloundra.
I attended a Memorial Service/plaque
dedication to those who served in Vietnam at the Caloundra Air
Museum. We displayed our banner with A4 173.
Vietnam Vets Association, Sunshine Coast. (VVAASC)
On
the 3rd 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.
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,
left) and Pilot Officer Bob Carver (Navigator, right).
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)
Brian Peck and his lovely wife were present as were Mick Ellis,
Allan Miles, Jeff
Pedrina, Mal Sayer, John Broughton and Trevor Benneworth.
They actually started a Caribou Gold Engine which was bolted to the
back of a 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.
I think I have it on video.
Canberra A84-225
Nicole
Fuge, Caloundra Weekly.
On November 3, 1970, 2 Squadron Canberra
Bomber A84-231 went missing with Flying Officer Michael Herbert and
Pilot Officer Robert Carver on board. John Miller, fondly known as
�Wang� to his RAAF buddies, was based at Amberley when he received
the call and was deployed four months early.
Navigating the replacement aeroplane
into Vietnam, he had no idea whether his two mates were dead or
alive.
John
Miller (left) and Bob Bruce.
�It was very
sad we had to go that way, because everyone knew Bob and Herbie,� he
said. �We were part of the same outfit, flying Canberras.� When John
arrived at Phan Rang, he was briefed and assigned to Herbie�s
sleeping quarters. The fact his mates were gone was suddenly very
real.
On November
3, 2010, Mal Sayers, Radtech A, from the Vietnam Veterans
Association Sunshine Coast stood proudly in front of the Caribou on
display at the Queensland Air Museum as he unveiled a brass plaque
in dedication of the RAAF personnel who served in units and
squadrons in the Vietnam War. Mal said the memorial at Caloundra
would provide an outlet for RAAF associations across the Sunshine
Coast to �call their own�.
When 2 Squadron
returned to Australia, they were the only RAAF Squadron flying
Canberras, and they continued with the aircraft well past its
planned retirement date. Numbers 1 and 6 Squadrons had converted to
the F4 Phantom, while waiting for the F-111, but 2 Squadron�s
aircraft were fitted with survey cameras and they continued to
provide valuable service completing many cartographic surveys in
Australia and overseas.
The Canberra’s distinguished RAAF career
officially ended on 30June 1982 when No2 Squadron flew four aircraft
over Brisbane and surrounding areas in a farewell fly-past.
Bob Bruce said of the Canberra, �It was a very
uncomfortable aircraft to fly in. The only altitude it�s comfortable
at is 20,000ft where it can�t fly at operationally because people
will shoot it down,�
�We all get a tear in the eye when we think
about the old Canberra� he said.
The DVD.
The set of 2 DVD�s is now available, you
can order yours for $10 which includes postage. The DVD�s include
hundreds of photos of blokes who served with RTFV/35Sqn, lots of
photos of caribous doing all sorts of things, plus photos of the two
unfortunate crashes in Vietnam.
You can see a
small sample
HERE � it�s a big file and will
take a few minutes to download.
Wine, Beer and
Spirits Glasses.
I
have 54 wine glasses with RTFV-35Sqn Badge Vietnam 1964 � 1972. The
glasses sell for $6 each or $35 per six pack � 6 of each or 2 wine,
2 beer/soft drink 10 oz (285 ml), 2 spirit glasses. Packing and
postage is the catch. It ranges from $8 to $15 Australia wide
You can see a
photo of the glasses
HERE.
Calendar.
If you want a 2012 calendar that shows
when the reunion will be held and also has all the holidays and even phases of the moon, click
HERE
Celery.
When you eat celery, do you ever
wonder if you�re burning more calories than the celery contains? Do
you drink soft drinks wondering if your bone health is suffering?
Arm yourself with 5
nutrition facts so that you will be an educated consumer in
the know. Click
HERE
Health and well
being.
Is red wine good for you – click
HERE to find out.
Tomatoes – are they any good – click
HERE
to find out.
Wear a Poppy.
Do
you know why people wear a poppy on Rememberance Day?? – NO!!.
Then see HERE.
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
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 early in 2011.
Belatedly, I would like to wish everyone and their families a Happy
New Year.
Look forward to seeing you in February.
Cheers
Sambo
| The Reunion. |
|
Accommodation in Brisbane during the reunion. |
|
|