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ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ARTILLERY ASSOCIATION
OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA Inc.
NEWSLETTER – APRIL 2015
Postal Address: 12 Chatsworth Grove, TOORAK GARDENS SA 5065. Phone (08) 8332.4485
Website: artillerysa.asn.au
e-mail: raaassocsa@gmail.com
AUSTRALIA DAY HONOURS
Hearty Congratulations to our long-standing member, Les Partridge, who was awarded the
OAM in the 2015 Australia Day Honours, for long and dedicated ‘service to veterans and their
families’. A great effort Les, and, on behalf of the SA Gunners we thank you sincerely for all of
the work you have done.
WEARING OF RETURNED FROM ACTIVE SERVICE BADGE
Quite a few members would, on occasion, wear the Returned from Active Service Badge
(RASB). The following is a brief excerpt from an interstate RSL magazine (RSL Runner, issue
1, 27/1/2015), which is reproduced for your information:
“It has been noted that a number of members incorrectly wear the Returned
from Active Service Badge (RASB). Here, advice is provided on the wearing of
this badge, through an excerpt from RSL State By-Law 14.6 and 7, which
decrees:
“The Returned from Active Service Badge (RASB) is issued to Australian
Defence Force personnel who have rendered warlike service. The badge enables
individuals to display their involvement in warlike service when wearing
civilian attire. It is worn when the wearing of service awards is not
appropriate or possible. Conversely, it should not be worn when wearing
service awards. The RASB is only worn by the person to whom it has been
issued. Family members and others, who wear a deceased person’s awards on
appropriate occasions, do not wear the RASB.”
VALE – WO 1 REX TAYLOR
Many of us will remember WO2 Rex Taylor who, with his brother
Bruce (‘Tubby) Taylor, were both WO2 Assistant Instructors of
Gunnery (AIG’s) in 13 Fd Regt in the 1969 era. Although ‘Tubby’
Taylor passed away some years ago, Rex passed away only recently
at the age of 79 years. It is safe to say that the Taylor brothers will be
long remembered as very capable Gunners, who were very willing to
pass on their knowledge and expertise to any other member of the
Gunner fraternity who was keen to learn – both are also remembered
as ‘great characters’. Thankfully, at the time the Regt also had Frank
Pellatt as the RSM to keep an eye on them!
In 1977, while RSM of 1st Fd Regt, Rex received the Queen Elizabeth
II Silver Jubilee Medal for his meritorious service, and in the 1978
Australia Day Honours, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of
Australia. He retired from the Australian Regular Army in January
1979. RIP Rex Taylor. (Extract from 105 Bty Assoc magazine, ‘Tiger Rag’ Feb 2015).
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18 POUNDER PROJECT
I invite your attention to both the postcard (reproduced below) circulated by the RAA Historical Company, and to
the request for tax-deductable donations.
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2015 GUNNER DINNER
This year’s Gunner Dinner will be held on Friday 28 August, again at the Naval, Military
and Air Force Club of South Australia, 111 Hutt Street Adelaide. Details will be provided in the
next newsletter, but please enter the date in your diary.
** ARMY MUSEUM OF SA’S HISTORY WEEK LUNCH, 2015 **
This year’s History Week Lunch will be held at Keswick Barracks on Wed 20 May – a flyer
containing all details is attached. NOTE: We are forming a ‘Gunners Table’, so when booking,
please mention that you wish to sit on that table. It will be helpful if you also let me know!
OPERATION ‘BRING THEM HOME’
I recently received a copy of a letter from the Vietnam Veterans’ Association of Australia (NT
Branch), addressed to Vietnam Veterans and their descendants, the content of which drew
attention to the fact that 25 Australian soldiers who were KIA in Vietnam, are laid to rest in
cemeteries in Terendak or Singapore.
The VVAA is petitioning the Australian Government to ‘bring them home’, after all, the
Government sent them to Vietnam in the first place.
The following is a website on which you will find the VVAA’s Petition, and the VVAA invites
you to add your name to the Petition in the hope of a positive outcome.
www.bringthemhome.org.au
CONGRATULATIONS – LTCOL GREG FLINN
Congratulations to LTCOL Greg Flinn who has recently retired from the Australian Army,
having completed about 50 years of service, spread over the Air Training Corps, Citizen Military
Forces, Australian Regular Army, and finally Australian Army Reserve, including several recent
years on full-time duty. Commencing his ‘Gunner-life’ as a Field Gunner in 13 Fd Regt (CMF),
on joining the ARA he underwent a ‘conversion’ to become an ‘air defender’ in 16 AD Regt.
A great effort Greg, and we wish you a long and healthy retirement.
OLLIVER HILL BATTERY - ROTTNEST ISLAND
Following my article in the last newsletter relating to the Leighton Battery Historical Site (just
North of Fremantle), I was contacted by our long-time member (but currently living in WA),
Steve Winter, who advised that in recent years he had visited the similar battery site located on
Rottnest Island.
Each battery position was visible from the other, and both were sited to engage enemy shipping
attempting to threaten the approaches to Perth and Fremantle harbour.
The following couple of photos were among several that were generously provided by Steve as a
as part of a ‘follow-up’ article.
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Battery buildings (as they exist today) on Rottnest Island, WA
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Preparing ammunition for the 9.2 inch Gun during World War 2
A 9.2 inch Gun emplacement on Rottnest Island
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THE GA GAU-8 MODERN-DAY GATLING GUN
The photo and associated article below is an extract from ‘Cascabel’, the Journal of the RAA
Assoc of Victoria, Issue 122, April 2015 – a very impressive weapon!
The top photo shows the weapon on a trailer, alongside a VW beetle, in order to show the overall
size of the weapon. The second photo shows the A10-Thunderbolt aircraft which, for all intents
and purposes was ‘built around’ the gun!
The barrels are almost 10 feet long, and the entire gun is 19½ feet long. The gun was developed
by General Electric (yes, they also build refrigerators!) – it does what it does better than any
other plane in the world – it kills tanks…….and also APC’s, radar stations, locomotives, bunkers
fuel depots….. The weapon fires a 30mm round which weighs over 100 times the weight of the
M16 round, at a rate of 4200 rds per min, with a muzzle velocity of 3500 feet per sec. the spent
cartridge cases are retained inside the aircraft to prevent any damage to the plane when firing.
The aircraft is designed with a titanium ‘bathtub’ for the pilot to sit in, providing a high-level of
pilot safety, and there are two of (and in some cases 3 of) most major systems on the aircraft,
thus enabling it to fly slow and low in support of ground operations with a higher than usual
degree of survivability. The gun is mounted inside the aircraft immediately under the cockpit,
and the above photo shows the muzzles and forward part of the barrels protruding below and
forward of the nose of the aircraft.
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REPLACEMENT OF ASLAV’s
About 225 ‘military-off-the-shelf’ vehicles will be purchased by Army to replace the ageing
ASLAV fleet operated by RAAC; the existing vehicles (example shown above) have seen
extensive service in Timor-Leste, Iraq and Afghanistan. Greater firepower, protection and
mobility would be key elements of the new vehicles, according to the Chief of Army, LTGEN D.
Morrison.
According to MAJGEN Paul McLaughlin (Head of Land Systems Division, Defence Materiel
Organisation), “w’ere looking for a networked platform that will be able to accommodate all of
the modern sensors that are now available to us.” The new vehicle will need variants to perform
reconnaissance, command and control, joint fires, surveillance, ambulance and repair & recovery
roles. ASLAV replacements fall under Phase 2 of the Land 400 (project); the total cost of Land
400 is estimated at more than $10 billion.
‘Army’ 26/2/2015
Cheers,
Geoff Laurie
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ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ARTILLERY ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA Inc.
2014 – 2015
Colonel Commandant (Tasmania & Central Regions)
Colonel Steve Carey RFD (Tasmania)
Committee:
President
Major Geoff Laurie RFD (Retd)
8332.4485 (H)
Treasurer
Major Rex Jones RFD (Retd)
8388.4201 (H)
Secretary
Sgt Jan Burgess
0411.446.656
Members
LTCOL Stefan Landherr RFD (Retd)
8289.4013 (H)
WO2 Hector Korsten
8344.8386 (H)
WO2 Don Millard
8263.5334 (H)
WO2 Tony Matz
0412.824.600
Sgt Eddie Tanzer
8263.0167 (H)
Sgt John Nield
8339.6421 (H)
Assoc Reps at Army}
Museum of SA
}
Sgt Eddie Tanzer
Sgt John Nield
16 AL Regt
LTCOL Bernard White
CO 16 AL Regt
6/13 Lt Bty Rep
(formerly 48 Fd Bty)
Capt Dave Haupt 48 Troop (6/13 Lt Bty)
8305.6256 (Tues Night)
P&EE (Pt Wakefield)
OC - Maj Jonathon Abundo
(08) 8867.1005 (W)
====================
Committee Meetings:
The Committee endeavours to meet on the second Monday in February, May, August, and November.
Agenda items, and Newsletter Articles to: Geoff Laurie or Jan Burgess
Memorabilia (when available) from the Secretary
RAA Tie
$40
Plaques (Pewter Badge)
Book, ‘Roundshot to Rapier’ – A History of RAA in SA)
Membership Fee:
Full Member:
Affiliate Member:
$25
RAA Lapel Badges
$5
$5
Annual Subscription:
$30
Joining Fee $20 (at Committee’s discretion)
50% of above annual subscription
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